Problem-Based Learning

The problem-based learning (PBL) approach has generally been associated with problem-solving skills needed to be effective in making life decisions and in working successfully in job settings. Barbara Duch, for instance, writes that "problem-based learning, at its most fundamental level, is an instructional method characterized by the use of ‘real world’ problems as a context for students to learn critical thinking and problem solving skills."

Communication Arts 101 implements the problem-based learning approach by structuring the existing writing assignments around real world problems. This follows a general trend in higher education related to service learning and experiential learning. In his landmark essay on "The New American College," Ernest Boyer exhorted faculty to broaden their view of scholarship to include the "scholarship of service" (1994). Since that time, dozens of organizations and conferences have sprung up to promote partnerships between schools and communities. For instance, the Shriver Center at the University of Pennsylvania is dedicated to using collegiate resources to solve community problems in Philadelphia. At about the same time, Samford established an office for community service and allowed students to meet convocation requirements through service activities. As well as reflecting the new national commitment to service learning, this movement was consonant with the university’s mission, which includes an injunction to "develop social and civic responsibility."

The Communication Arts 101 course promotes problem-based learning and demonstrates an attention to social responsibility either through its connection to community service or through engagement during the semester with critical social issues. In the case of a service-learning component, each of the four writing and speaking assignments in the course is directly connected to a campus or community agency.

In this sense, the entirety of the course is directed toward problem-based learning. Mini-lectures are given occasionally on elements of grammar or writing strategies, but these comprise less than 10% of class time. Even these lectures are interactive, as students are questioned about their own writing and speaking strategies. The focus of the course is always on helping students to improve their own writing and speaking abilities, and 95% of their grade comes from evaluating their performances rather than from quizzes or tests.

For more information about Problem-Based Learning, consult The Center for Problem-Based Learning at Samford.