Performing PBL: the importance of creating atmosphere

Performing PBL: the importance of creating atmosphere

By Maud Oostindie & Robin Schormans The PBL-classroom is not only a site of learning, but also a site of performance; a metaphorical stage, in which individuals perform certain roles. The student, scribe, chair and tutor play their respective parts…

On a mission: helping students to make better use of the pre-discussion

On a mission: helping students to make better use of the pre-discussion

By Jasmijn van der Most When I was a student in the Bachelor in European Studies (BA ES), I thought that a PBL pre-discussion worked as follows: you read the assignment text, scan it for difficult words, and you put…

The Case for Log Books: An Assignment Designed to Promote Student Reflection on Academic Writing

The Case for Log Books: An Assignment Designed to Promote Student Reflection on Academic Writing

By Elizabeth Olsson For the last two years, I have worked as a writing coach in one of the largest introductory courses offered by the School of Global Studies at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The course is Introduction to…

Course evaluation, what is it good for?

Course evaluation, what is it good for?

By Matthijs Krooi A few months ago, this blog featured an excellent post about bias in teaching evaluations, especially with regard to age and gender. It is a sobering story about a practice of performance measurement that is very common…

Problem-based learning for teaching political ecology?

Problem-based learning for teaching political ecology?

By Nick Kirsop-Taylor and Dan Appiah In this blogpost we report on a recent paper we gave at the Joint International teaching and learning Conference (2019) in Brighton (UK) about using Problem-based learning (PBL) as an approach to teaching and…

Using word association to assess learning in the BA ES

Using word association to assess learning in the BA ES

By Paul Stephenson My experience of teaching Area Studies in the BA European Studies is that, once you move beyond the initial tour de table that maps what we know based on basic assumptions and personal experiences, the group has little idea…

Peeking into the classroom – PBL Movie Night at FASoS

Peeking into the classroom – PBL Movie Night at FASoS

By Vincent Bijman In Dutch secondary education, one effective tool to facilitate reflection on pedagogical and didactical strategies is the use of classroom video footage to support discussions between teaching staff. Video footage is also a useful tool for PBL…

One year of blogging about teaching and learning in PBL

By Patrick Bijsmans & Afke Groen It has been a year since we started our Teaching & Learning Blog! And what better way to celebrate than with a blog of our own about the importance of sharing teaching experiences and…

Stressed from teaching so many stressed students?

Stressed from teaching so many stressed students?

By Pia Harbers Media have been reporting about increased levels of stress and psychological problems among students in Higher Education. While some question to what extent this really is a serious problem, others describe this as the “biggest generational challenge” that we are…

What place for lectures in the Problem-Based Learning process?

What place for lectures in the Problem-Based Learning process?

By Afke Groen My first lecture at university was a nightmare. I thought I had prepared well. I had extensively read the assigned material, and had completely based the lecture on that. If I would just stand behind the microphone…

Using writing in PBL: Less talking - more ideas

Using writing in PBL: Less talking – more ideas

By John Harbord The typical PBL session: some students talk, some are silent – are the silent ones not contributing because they didn’t do the reading, because they are shy, or why? It’s often hard to tell. Some show off…

For the times they are complex–Why PBL is more relevant than ever

For the times they are complex–Why PBL is more relevant than ever

By Martin Wirtz & Lasse Gerrits While Problem-Based Learning (PBL) still has an innovative air around it compared to traditional university teaching, it can hardly be claimed that it is “new”. Yet, we contend that PBL is more relevant than…

Study choice: BA ES alumni Philipp Hermann & Christopher Dürr

Study choice: BA ES alumni Philipp Hermann & Christopher Dürr

By Afke Groen & Patrick Bijsmans Study choice is a topical issue; for students, who want to choose a programme that suits them well, and for universities, whose financing partly depends on students’ enrolment in and successful completion of their…

Engaging students in PBL tutorials

Engaging students in PBL tutorials

By Philip Post Engaging students is important in any educational context, but is crucial to a proper working of Problem-Based Learning. In our system, students are in control of the learning process and the participation of the students therefore largely…