PBL step by step

Each group member takes on the role of note-taker once and the role of discussion leader once. The person acting as the note-taker for a meeting will act as the discussion leader for the next meeting. This is only logical, as the discussion leader can only function effectively if s/he knows what was discussed during the previous meeting. The roles are assigned to the various group members during the first group meeting. The note-taker During the meeting, the note-taker writes down notes on the note sheet. The group can also use the blackboard/whiteboard to better understand and remember certain concepts, draw diagrams, and write down agreements etc. This too is one of the note-taker’s tasks.

The notes must always include the following points:

1. The date of the meeting, the task involved, the name of the note-taker, the name of the discussion leader, and the name of the tutor;
2. Difficult concepts;
3. Definition of the problem;
4. Learning objectives (points 2, 3 and 4 comprise the preliminary stage of the task);
5. Summary of the follow-up discussion of the task;
6. Day’s agenda (including all the matters agreed upon within the tutorial group).

If you were the note-taker for a meeting, you will be the discussion leader the next time. Always make sure you bring the notes, typed or neatly written, with you to the next meeting.

The discussion leader

If you are the discussion leader for a meeting, you are actually acting as the chairperson for the meeting. Your most important responsibility is to ensure that everyone in the group continues to work effectively. As you have prepared the notes yourself, you know exactly what the agenda of the meeting looks like, which matters were agreed upon previously, and how much time is available. You also make sure that everyone is given the opportunity to speak and that the discussions are conducted effectively and orderly. If you find that the discussion is veering away from the topic on the agenda, you must remind everyone of what the meeting is actually about (the ‘thread’). To do so, it helps if you provide a summary of what has been discussed every now and then.

So the discussion leader actually has two responsibilities:

1. She/he must make sure that all the learning objectives are dealt with and that the seven-step method is carried out effectively;
2. She/he must make sure that the group members work together effectively and that each group member behaves appropriately.

If you are the discussion leader, you should pay attention to the following points:

• Make sure a clear agreement is reached on who the note-taker for the meeting will be;
• Check whether everyone has received a copy of the notes, and give everyone the opportunity to read them;
• Does anyone have any questions regarding the notes?
• Always start with the follow-up discussion; explain briefly what the task is about (the thread), and summarize the discussion held during the previous meeting;
• Discuss the learning objectives and the subject matter to be studied;
• Are there any questions, problems, comments?
• You have now completed the post discussion stage, and you can simply continue with the next group task (the preliminary stage).
• You must now make sure that steps 1 through 5 of the seven-step method are carried out;
• You bring the meeting to a close.

So the primary task of the discussion leader is not to deal with the subject matter under discussion, but to ensure that the discussion is carried out in an effective and orderly way. Of course, in addition to the discussion leader, there’s also a tutor present, who keep an eye on the entire process

The tutor

In addition to a discussion leader, a note-taker, and the group members, there’s always a teacher present during a tutorial group meeting. The teacher is referred to as a tutor. In contrast to a teacher lecturing a class, the task of the tutor is not to explain all the subject material and tell you what is more important and what less. The tutor’s primary task is to make sure that the group members work together effectively, to encourage the group to delve more deeply into the subject matter, and to make sure that everyone understands the subject matter. The tutor is responsible for the course contents as well as the functioning of the tutorial group. Whenever necessary, he can also lend a helping hand to the discussion leader.

• Active listening: Many interpersonal problems arise simply because people are not able to listen to each other effectively
• Asserting yourself: You’ll work together with others more effectively if you’re able to assert yourself. This doesn’t mean that you always have to get your way. It means that effective cooperation is difficult if you always feel as if you’re on the defensive.
• Giving and receiving feedback: You work together because you can learn a lot from each other. This means that you must also be able to tell each other what the other is doing wrong.
• Discussions: You will have to discuss a great many matters. One of the reasons for doing so is to exchange views and information.

• You might encounter courses where PBL is not strictly followed (or not at all), depending on topic of the course (e.g. Accounting, Finance)level of the course (more PBL in yr.1, less in yr.3/MSc) But still: learning is ‘student-based’ e.g.: literature presentations, cases, facilitations
• Then what’s the point of learning PBL? Although we do not follow PBL explicitly, we certainly follow it implicitly. When students know all the steps, then they can easily skip less relevant steps of PBL. Therefore, it is still important to learn the process of PBL