Targeting Transfer in a STELLAR PBL Course for Pre-Service Teachers

• Published in: The interdisciplinary journal of problem-based learning Vol. 3; no. 2; pp. 24 - 42
• Main Authors: Hmelo-Silver, Cindy E, Derry, Sharon J, Bitterman, Alan, Hatrak, Natalie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Purdue University Press 26-10-2009
• Subjects: Blended Learning; Computer Uses in Education; Cooperative Learning; Instructional Effectiveness; Large Group Instruction; Preservice Teacher Education; Preservice Teachers; Pretests Posttests; Problem Based Learning; Qualitative Research; Quasiexperimental Design; Scaffolding (Teaching Technique); Statistical Analysis; Transfer of Training; United States (Northeast)
• ISSN: 1541-5015; 1541-5015
• DOI: 10.7771/1541-5015.1055

Helping students in the professions apply conceptual ideas to the problems of practice is a key goal of problem-based learning (PBL). Because PBL is organized around small, collaborative groups, scaling up PBL to large, heterogeneous classes poses significant challenges for implementation. This study presents a hybrid model that mixes online and face-to-face PBL. The STELLAR system was developed to support online and hybrid PBL courses for pre-service teachers. It allows PBL to be implemented in larger classes because its scaffolding capabilities allow a small number of facilitators to distribute their attention among multiple small groups. In a quasi-experimental study, we found that students who participated in a hybrid PBL course using STELLAR (n= 33) learned more about targeted course concepts than students in a traditional comparison course (n=37). In addition, we present qualitative data that helps explain these outcomes by demonstrating how students engaged with these concepts during the hybrid PBL course. These results suggest that a hybrid computer-supported collaborative learning approach can be used to scaffold problem-based learning and foster deep understanding.