Background
Problem-based learning (PBL)is a method of instruction where students are given a real or realistic problem, such as a case study or hypothetical situation, and asked to use inductive reasoning to learn both information about the topic and how to think critically about it. (Repanovici & Koukourakis, 2021)
Literature Review by Scientometric Methods
Scientometric methods helps us review literature quickly, using algorithms to automatically select the most relevant articles. Scientometric methods help us create an image of a certain field within a certain database. Using the research question “problem-based learning”, we obtained 7,137 results in the Web of Science database. We downloaded the database in a tab-delimited file format withfull records and cited references. We analyzed the data with VOS Viewer, a software for scientometric analysis. One of the key features of VOS viewer is its ability to identify clusters of related research based on co-occurrence of keywords in article titles, abstracts, or keywords. These clusters represent groups of articles that are highly related to each other in terms of their content and can provide valuable insights into the structure of a research field or discipline. We analyzed keywords used by authors. Three hundred and twenty seven terms used in the document descriptions occurred at least ten times. The software calculates the relevance, and identified 196 terms. The term map was generated and four clusters were identified: Teaching methods using PBL;PBL in medicine; PBL effects on students; and PBL in engineering education.
Objectives, Methodology & Outcomes
Within the EU project 2021-1-IE02-KA220-HED-000035812, (Developing Information and Research Skills for Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship) modern teaching methods based on PBL are implemented at Transilvania University. There, a PBL model was implemented in the Digital Repository Management course for students in the Digital Media specialization. Starting from the hypothesis that PBL was no longer used in teaching, we introduced his method and measured the impact of the change in the pedagogical approach for students.
PBL is a student-centered and constructivist educational method that emphasizes the development of problem-solving skills and critical thinking. The students were introduced to the PBL model, througha pedagogical model that also explained the differences between the inverted pedagogy and classical pedagogy. Students carried out activitieswhere a problem was defined. They then, saw how specialists work in practice and they made practical applications after the theoretical model was presented to them. We as the researchers designed a questionnaire to measure the impact of the PBL method on the students. We followed the students’ positive and negative opinions about the method. In the end, we released an online questionnaire with 21 questions in Survey Monkey . All 61 students completed the survey. The students appreciated the results of the implementation of the PBL method and were satisfied with the knowledge they gained. Qualitative research demonstrates the need to change the classical learning method by applying interactive, intuitive methods to engage the student more in the teaching process. Especially in the field of LIS, this method is much more appreciated considering the dynamics of changing technology and the mentality of students. This model and its associated activities can be implemented to other courses.
References
- Developing Information and Research Skills for Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (InRS) – Kaunas University of Technology | KTU. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://en.ktu.edu/projects/developing-information-and-research-skills-for-business-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-inrs/
- Repanovici, A., & Koukourakis, M. (2021). Problem-based Learning Method Used in Using 3D Printing Training – A Quick Review. In 11th International Conference on Information Science and Information Literacy (pp. 153–158). https://doi.org/10.2478/9788395815065-016
Angela Repanovici1, Manolis Koukourakis2
1Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania; 2University of Crete, Greece
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