A whole system approach to Problem-Based Learning in dental, medical and veterinary sciences - A Guide to important variables -

For whom is the Guide intended?

We hope that the Guide will be of interest to Schools of Dental, Medical and Veterinary Sciences wishing to explore a change to a problem-based curriculum, i.e., one in which the whole curriculum design acknowledges the principles of 'problem-first' learning.

Why this Guide?

The term 'problem-based learning' (PBL) is sometimes used to claim educational excellence for different approaches to education. These approaches may not be applied primarily or consistently throughout an educational programme. Most of the claims in the literature for or against the acceptability, effectiveness and efficiency of PBL tend to focus on the acquisition of factual knowledge. Any mention of 'add on', transferable generic abilities and skills, tends not to be accompanied by explicit detail of how PBL was implemented to foster their development. Similarly, such papers tend not to describe other variables, such as those related to students' and tutors' level of familiarity with the application of PBL or to the curriculum design, including the validity of how students are assessed.