Integrating Problem-Based and Project-Based Learning in Human Geography: studying urban green spaces in a master’s course on healthy urban planning
This study integrates Problem-Based and Project-Based Learning in a master's Human Geography course on Healthy Urban Planning, using urban green spaces as real-world challenges. Student engagement, understanding, and professional skills improved, though workload and participation issues were noted.
ABSTRACT Higher education in geography has been emphasizing active learning approaches that connect academic knowledge with professional practice. This paper presents a case study of an attempt to integrate Problem-Based Learning and Project-Based Learning within a master’s course in Human Geography focused on Healthy Urban Planning. The learning design, centred on urban green spaces as real-world planning challenges, engaged students in the analysis of environmental urban infrastructure with a focus on health promotion. The course involved graduate geography students working collaboratively through problem definition, data collection, analysis, and solution development, mirroring professional workflows. Students’ perceptions of the learning experience were explored through two anonymous open-ended surveys administered after course completion. Thematic analysis revealed high problem engagement, enhanced understanding through applied learning, and the development of autonomy, collaboration, and other transferable professional skills. Instructor guidance and peer interaction were identified as key supports, while challenges related to workload and uneven participation were also reported. The findings suggest that integrating Problem-Based and Project-Based Learning offers a valuable pedagogical framework for geography and planning education, particularly for place-based topics. The paper contributes to ongoing discussions on innovative teaching practices in higher education by illustrating how active learning supports disciplinary understanding and professional skill development.
- Research Article
1
- 10.24115/s2446-6220202171775p.423-428
- Apr 24, 2021
- LAPLAGE EM REVISTA
This article is an overview. The research highlight’s objective and subjective preconditions of the process of modernization of professional and ideological-methodological training of a modern specialist, respectively, changes in the dynamics and content lines of modern historical progress. The content of innovative tendencies of the university education system in Ukraine and the urgency of the problem of teacher tutor training are indicated. The general and distinctive features of tendencies of development of innovative pedagogical practices in higher school abroad in the direction of professional training of teachers (the USA, Poland, and China) are allocated. The relevance of theoretical coverage of innovative pedagogical practices in higher education is due to the peculiarities of their development in modern conditions in Ukraine and abroad. Modernization of the higher education system today requires the study and comprehensive analysis of this issue. Theoretical basis: scientific articles of domestic and foreign scientists on the problems of innovative pedagogical practices in higher education.
- Research Article
1
- 10.15642/nobel.2023.14.1.28-44
- Apr 28, 2023
- NOBEL: Journal of Literature and Language Teaching
This article investigates lecturers’ and students’ perspectives on effective teaching practices in Islamic higher education during the Covid -19 pandemic. The pandemic caused the movement of teaching and learning modes from face to face into online/distance teaching and learning. The different modes of teaching and learning processes may raise a different perspective on effective teaching and learning practices, especially in Islamic higher education. Thirteen English lecturers and 262 English students from the third, fifth, and seventh semesters participated in this survey research. Questionnaires are distributed through Google Forms to collect data on lecturers’ and students’ perspectives on effective teaching practices. The results show that the lecturers and students have good perspectives on four aspects of online teaching (pedagogical, managerial, social, and technological roles) as effective teaching practices in higher education during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, lecturers and students have quite different sequences of most frequent responses on the roles. The three sequences of the lecturers’ responses are social roles, managerial roles, and pedagogical roles. Then the three sequences of the students’ responses are pedagogical roles and managerial roles (two positions: the second and third positions). This different perspective can be a consideration in conducting online teaching and learning.
- Research Article
8
- 10.3389/feduc.2023.1301269
- Dec 13, 2023
- Frontiers in Education
ObjectivesOver time, pedagogical practices in higher education have evolved significantly, which has led to the development of collaborative learning strategies. The study aims to compare the two most prominent ones – problem-based learning (PBL) and team-based learning (TBL). The comparison, integrated with Virtual Scenarios (VSs), involves student cohorts from various European institutions, specifically focusing on both PBL and TBL methods. The study is distinctive in its use of a consistent PBL/TBL methodology, ensured via joint staff training, and explores the perspectives of students and educators on these learning techniques. The overarching aim is to examine how PBL and TBL, coupled with VSs, influence problem-solving skills, independent learning, and student engagement.MethodsThe examination was made using feedback from 399 students and 11 tutors collected in four trials held in three institutions based in Czechia, the United Kingdom and Romania. The data gathered from surveys and a focus group discussion contained qualitative as well as quantitative data, such as Likert scale questions. To analyse the overall trends in learners’ satisfaction with PBL and TBL sessions, the mean score calculated from the transformed Likert scale questions was compared between sessions and among institutions using multivariate ANOVA.ResultsThe students’ satisfaction and learning experience are heavily influenced by specific conditions, primarily their prior experience, room and technical set-up, group composition and especially the personality of a tutor. Overall, both strategies were found to be well-received by students used to traditional teaching methods. Students accustomed to PBL did not find TBL more engaging or useful. The identified advantages of TBL over PBL were the presence of a content expert, readiness tests, acquiring the same knowledge ensured through the collective presence of all students in one session and unified pre-class materials. However, TBL is more demanding on room set-up and teaching staff coordination.ConclusionBoth strategies have been found to have pros and cons and neither showed clear superiority over the other one. An institution newly implementing PBL or TBL needs to focus on different aspects than an institution planning to switch from PBL to TBL.
- Research Article
64
- 10.1108/et-05-2020-0141
- Nov 27, 2020
- Education + Training
PurposeThe aim of this study is to obtain a broader knowledge of innovative pedagogical practices in higher education, by analysing the particular case of the Higher Institute of Administration and Languages (ISAL). The literature review reveals a gap in this scientific field, and filling this gap is as imperative as the need to articulate higher education with the Students' Profile by the End of Compulsory Schooling.Design/methodology/approachThis research adopts a qualitative methodological approach, in order to analyse the students and teachers' perceptions of the active learning methodologies implemented at ISAL. Data were collected from a closed-ended questionnaire, aimed at a population composed of students and teachers.FindingsThe literature review reveals a gap in this scientific field, particularly in Portugal. Filling this gap is as imperative as the need to articulate higher education with the Students' Profile by the End of Compulsory Schooling.Practical implicationsWith the adoption of this methodological approach, this research intends to verify not only whether the innovative pedagogical practices addressed in the literature review are implemented in this institution, but also to identify obstacles to their implementation. With regard to the results, several pedagogical innovation practices are already implemented, even though some limitations to their implementation are identified.Originality/valueThis research allows identifying indicators that are essential to outline an intervention plan in the pedagogical practices implemented at ISAL or other higher education institutions and contributes to assessing the current state of pedagogical practices in higher education.
- Research Article
79
- 10.1080/14703297.2012.677599
- May 1, 2012
- Innovations in Education and Teaching International
Faced with the challenges of the changes in: higher education, educational developers’ roles and the use of innovation to stimulate change, this study aimed to synthesise literature dealing with the diffusion of innovative learning and teaching practices in higher education to determine what lessons could be learnt. The findings suggest that the following need to be considered if innovations are to influence widespread change: senior management support, recognition of the time needed to change practices, appropriate skill development, contextualised innovation, supportive networks and a solid institutional infrastructure. The paper also considers the difficulties faced when trying to generalise guidance in an area wrought with the complexities of change and calls for further research that problematises the realities of innovation diffusion.
- Research Article
- 10.5256/f1000research.157048.r268905
- May 10, 2024
- F1000Research
BackgroundPedagogical best practices play a pivotal role in ensuring the academic success of students within the higher education landscape. This study aims to systematically synthesize innovative pedagogical best practices within the university context.MethodsWe conducted a thorough systematic review using the rigorous PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology. Our review involved comprehensive searches of scientific databases, including Eric, Scopus, and Proquest, covering both Spanish and English publications. We strategically employed Boolean operators like AND and OR to create a robust search equation. Our primary research question guiding this investigation was: “What innovative pedagogical practices have been developed in university settings to improve teaching and learning effectiveness?” This central question led us to delve deeply into the strategies utilized, pedagogical approaches adopted, and the noticeable impact achieved after their implementation. Additionally, we carefully established stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigor.ResultsA total of 25 scholarly articles that met the pre-established criteria were meticulously identified and included in this systematic review. The results were thoughtfully categorized into three distinct teaching strategies: the first emphasizing student-centered approaches, the second showcasing the integration of educational technology, and the third highlighting evaluation and feedback methodologies.ConclusionsThis systematic exploration of pedagogical best practices underscores their paramount importance in driving continuous improvement in teacher training and fostering innovation within the educational arena. Such practices not only create an engaging and effective learning environment but also set the stage for ongoing advancements in the teaching and learning processes.
- Peer Review Report
- 10.5256/f1000research.175777.r349760
- Jan 7, 2025
Background Pedagogical best practices play a pivotal role in ensuring the academic success of students within the higher education landscape. This study aims to systematically synthesize innovative pedagogical best practices within the university context. Methods We conducted a thorough systematic review using the rigorous PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology. Our review involved comprehensive searches of scientific databases, including Eric, Scopus, and Proquest, covering both Spanish and English publications. We strategically employed Boolean operators like AND and OR to create a robust search equation. Our primary research question guiding this investigation was: “What innovative pedagogical practices have been developed in university settings to improve teaching and learning effectiveness?” This central question led us to delve deeply into the strategies utilized, pedagogical approaches adopted, and the noticeable impact achieved after their implementation. Additionally, we carefully established stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigor. Results A total of 25 scholarly articles that met the pre-established criteria were meticulously identified and included in this systematic review. The results were thoughtfully categorized into three distinct teaching strategies: the first emphasizing student-centered approaches, the second showcasing the integration of educational technology, and the third highlighting evaluation and feedback methodologies. Conclusions This systematic exploration of pedagogical best practices underscores their paramount importance in driving continuous improvement in teacher training and fostering innovation within the educational arena. Such practices not only create an engaging and effective learning environment but also set the stage for ongoing advancements in the teaching and learning processes.
- Research Article
6
- 10.12688/f1000research.143392.1
- Jan 8, 2024
- F1000Research
Background Pedagogical best practices play a pivotal role in ensuring the academic success of students within the higher education landscape. This study aims to systematically synthesize innovative pedagogical best practices within the university context. Methods We conducted a thorough systematic review using the rigorous PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology. Our review involved comprehensive searches of scientific databases, including Eric, Scopus, and Proquest, covering both Spanish and English publications. We strategically employed Boolean operators like AND and OR to create a robust search equation. Our primary research question guiding this investigation was: “What innovative pedagogical practices have been developed in university settings to improve teaching and learning effectiveness?” This central question led us to delve deeply into the strategies utilized, pedagogical approaches adopted, and the noticeable impact achieved after their implementation. Additionally, we carefully established stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigor. Results A total of 25 scholarly articles that met the pre-established criteria were meticulously identified and included in this systematic review. The results were thoughtfully categorized into three distinct teaching strategies: the first emphasizing student-centered approaches, the second showcasing the integration of educational technology, and the third highlighting evaluation and feedback methodologies. Conclusions This systematic exploration of pedagogical best practices underscores their paramount importance in driving continuous improvement in teacher training and fostering innovation within the educational arena. Such practices not only create an engaging and effective learning environment but also set the stage for ongoing advancements in the teaching and learning processes.
- Research Article
13
- 10.12688/f1000research.143392.2
- Dec 17, 2024
- F1000Research
Pedagogical best practices play a pivotal role in ensuring the academic success of students within the higher education landscape. This study aims to systematically synthesize innovative pedagogical best practices within the university context. We conducted a thorough systematic review using the rigorous PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology. Our review involved comprehensive searches of scientific databases, including Eric, Scopus, and Proquest, covering both Spanish and English publications. We strategically employed Boolean operators like AND and OR to create a robust search equation. Our primary research question guiding this investigation was: "What innovative pedagogical practices have been developed in university settings to improve teaching and learning effectiveness?" This central question led us to delve deeply into the strategies utilized, pedagogical approaches adopted, and the noticeable impact achieved after their implementation. Additionally, we carefully established stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigor. A total of 25 scholarly articles that met the pre-established criteria were meticulously identified and included in this systematic review. The results were thoughtfully categorized into three distinct teaching strategies: the first emphasizing student-centered approaches, the second showcasing the integration of educational technology, and the third highlighting evaluation and feedback methodologies. This systematic exploration of pedagogical best practices underscores their paramount importance in driving continuous improvement in teacher training and fostering innovation within the educational arena. Such practices not only create an engaging and effective learning environment but also set the stage for ongoing advancements in the teaching and learning processes.
- Research Article
33
- 10.14742/apubs.2013.1515
- Nov 30, 2013
- ASCILITE Publications
The field of learning analytics has great potential to inform and enhance teaching and learning practices in higher education. However, while many studies are being conducted to examine new learning analytics tools or ways that learning analytics can be used to address specific problems such as student retention, few studies have explored the fundamental needs of teaching staff in addressing educational problems or making improvements to their teaching. This paper presents the initial findings from research being conducted with staff associated with teaching and learning at the University of Melbourne to identify the needs and potential uses of learning analytics to improve educational outcomes. The role learning analytics will play in informing teaching practice in higher education is considered, as well as implications for future research in the field.
- Conference Article
- 10.23919/cisti52073.2021.9476524
- Jun 23, 2021
In this work we present a project that aims to develop a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) for teacher training, promoting innovative pedagogical practices in higher education. The methodology adopted was Educational Design Research, which is presented in its fundamental characteristics. Focus is given to the preliminary literature review that served as theoretical framework for the project and helped in making the first development decisions. There are several recommendations and studies that argue the importance of using digital technologies in pedagogical activities, as well as using teaching and learning strategies centered on students - who increasingly use them in their learning. Some frameworks were also identified as guidelines for teacher training with digital technologies. The current pandemic context, which forced distance learning, reinforced the topicality of the theme, positioning MOOCs as good solutions for promoting innovative pedagogical practices in teacher training.
- Book Chapter
2
- 10.1007/978-3-031-67011-4_1
- Jan 1, 2025
This chapter provides a short overview of the history of Challenge-Based Learning (CBK) and its evolution as a pedagogical practice in higher education. We discuss how CBL reshapes pedagogical approaches to learning and teaching as well as student engagement and self-directed learning in collaborative practices. The vignette included compares CBL to other experiential learning methods such as problem-based and project-based learning. The chapter then discusses CBL's origins in both bioengineering at a higher education level and the Apple pilots at a high school level, both in the USA.
- Dissertation
1
- 10.14393/ufu.te.2020.72
- Feb 28, 2020
In the face of the multiple transformations made in global scale in the social, political, economic, geographic and cultural fields, from the ongoing processes of the capitalist restructuring, globalization and neoliberalism, giving privilege to the market relations, the educational institutions had to redefine their roles over the new pattern of labor organization, of the labor’s profile as well as the types of formation. The study is bounded to the line of research “Saberes e Práticas Educativas”. The thesis argues that the pedagogical practice of the pedagogues who teach the subject Didactics in the public higher education institutions in Piaui corresponds to what the specialists in university teaching consider important as regards the conceptions of teaching and didactic dimensions. Therefore, the general purpose of this study is to investigate, study and comprehend which are the conceptions of teaching and didactic dimensions that the university professors, initially graduated in Pedagogy who work in Pedagogy courses and other degrees from public higher education institutions in the State of Piaui, have over their teaching practice in the higher education. It aims to display the interactions that these teachers establish among themselves and with the organization of their teaching work through the categories of study: conceptions of teaching and didactic dimensions. The research approaches a quantitative and qualitative methodology, in its priority is not only the data collection in its numeric form and percentage/ graphic and the opinion of the subjects in order to respond the following questions: 1 What are conceptions of teaching and didactic dimensions that the university professors, initially graduated in Pedagogy who work in Pedagogy courses in public higher education institutions in the State of Piaui, have over their teaching practice in the higher education? 2. What are the interactions that these teachers establish among themselves and with the organization of their teaching work through the categories of study: conceptions of teaching and didactic dimensions? Two Brazilian public universities that serve the whole state of Piaui, Universidade Federal Do Piaui (UFPI) – and in its 05 campuses, and the Universidade Estadual do Piaui (UESPI) – in its 11 campuses where there is the Pedagogy Course were chosen as research locations. were chosen as research locations. The used research instrument was a structured questionnaire developed in the Google Docs platform with closed questions disposed on a 5-point Likert-type scale and an opened one. We used the descriptive statistics to analyze the quantitative data and the analysis of the content by Bardin to analyze the qualitative ones. 40 professors who teach the Didactics subject in Pedagogy courses and other degrees in the public universities of the state of Piaui. The results allowed deducing that the pedagogue professors who teach the Didactics subject in Pedagogy courses and other degrees in the public universities of the state of Piaui, in their teaching practice in higher education, give privilege to a multidimensional perspective of education and teaching, therefore, think over the Didactics embedded to its epistemological principles, promoting critical reflections on the complexity about teaching, including, however, the analysis of the sociocultural, political, economic, technical, ethical, cognitive, human that interconnect in the construction/reconstruction of the knowledge historically constituted. Furthermore, in their teaching practice, they realize the teaching permeated by the contradictions and dilemmas in the contexts, in which they are inserted. Therefore, Didactics contributes to the professors exercise their educative actions in a transforming perspective of the factors that complicate the realization of a public, democratic and good education.
- Research Article
32
- 10.14426/cristal.v5i1.97
- Jun 26, 2017
- SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología
In this article, I address the issue of how we can instil pedagogical practices in higher education with ethical and political significance so that the hegemonic rationalist epistemology of educational development is interrupted. To do this, I take up two recent streams of response to this challenge; one focused on care and the other on discomfort. Illustrating the tensions and possibilities that the notion of the ‘ethic of care’ and ‘ethic of discomfort’ may have in discourses of educational development is the focus of this article. In particular, the following three questions structure my discussion: What are the contributions and limits of the ethic of care in exploring issues of educational development in our contemporary globalised world? How can the scope of care and caring teaching be extended through an ethic of discomfort? Finally, what are the implications for educational development of such a reconceptualization of care on the basis of ‘pedagogies of discomfort’? To approach these questions I first consider some theoretical conversations regarding caring teaching in (higher) education, pointing out the possibilities as well as some limitations. Then I discuss the reconceptualisation of caring teaching in higher education on the basis of an ethic of discomfort. Following this, I lay out some implications for educational development and teaching in higher education and answer the question of how a reconceptualised ethic of care through discomfort can contribute to reconsidering mainstream perceptions of and pedagogical practices in higher education.
- Research Article
1
- 10.31580/apss.v4i3.699
- Apr 26, 2019
- Asia Proceedings of Social Sciences
Relative Effects of Problem and Project-based Learning Techniques on Students Academic Achievement in Building Technology