The PBL Thread

Hey
I am a first year (international). Was just wondering how pbl sessions take place at other universities. For example is the case given to you a few days before session one ? How do you do your research ? How do you maintain pbl logbooks? Basically how do pbls take place at your university?

Thanks in advance ! :smile:

Reply 1

Fission_Mailed

What uni are you at?

We only do one PBL project a year. The case is given to us during session one, along with a folder with some journal articles that may be useful, and we then had 4 weeks to put together a presentation on the two learning objectives. There are 4 timetabled sessions that you have to attend, but virtually every group had 1-2 extra meetings each week.

My research= 3-4 hours in Medline and Web of Science, and because this is such a minor part of our course (30% of one module) there are not log books.

Reply 2

lekky

We have a PBL session where we are given a scenario.

-- we define anything words needing clarification
-- identify the main issues
--brainstorm the main issues
-- come up with questions to answer (normally 4-6)

Then everyone goes away and answers all the questions using a combination of textbooks, websites, and a few lectures put on by the University.

Come back and feedback on what we learn.

We don't have PBL logbooks.

We have 2 PBLs a week.

Reply 3

xXxBaby-BooxXx

At UEA we have one scenario a week, where using the scenario and the seminars for the upcoming week we brainstorm ten scenarios (roughly). We all have one each that we research using textbooks, lectures/seminars and the internet, and then we present our topic in fun and interesting ways (like musical chairs, wordsearches, crosswords, match pairs etc)

We don't have PBL logbooks but we do have patient logbooks from placements.

Reply 4

Meltdown30

PBL in 3rd year of Glasgow changes a bit.

Instead of being given a full scenario, you'll be given something like, "You are a GP in a practice. Mrs Brown, age 52, comes in to see you. She has been feeling very tired recently."

You then brainstorm a differential diagnosis and take a history, examination and say what investigations you'd like to do. The facilitator will give you the answers to the questions you ask (sometimes they like to role play as the patient and get really into it...). You then go back to your list of differentials and decide on one. The PBL session then proceeds as lekky mentioned.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 5

Kinkerz

Original post by lekky

This is pretty much what we do. Just the number of objectives we set can vary quite alot, i.e., this week we've got 9, last week we had about 6, the week before that 11, etc., etc.

And yes, it does come up in exams, but nowhere near as much as the lecture material.

Reply 6

lekky

Yes it comes up in exams. Most of our lectures revolve around the PBL topics so I will revise by going through the PBLs..

Reply 7

CWallace91

We have our Pbl casebook from the start of the year with all the cases for the semester. Each week read through it, identify main cues, make up ILO's based on said queues and spend the rest of the week researching. Then later on come back to the group and share everything we've learnt.

Get the information from books, the web, and lectures put on by the university.

Reply 8

carcinoma

Thought I would throw in the Peninsula way, as well.

We have 2 week case units.

In the first PBL session (Week 1)

- We read through the scenario we are given, its usually in two parts
- Identify the main issues, and create a concept map of all the themes and issues which link
- Produce learning issues, usually 20-30

We usually aim to answer 3/4 of them by the following Tuesday (2nd PBL sessions (week 2)
- We use the Lectures, Life sciences seminars and clinical skills sessions, as well as our own research to get the information we need.

-We feedback everything we have found out for each issue, usually by all going through each issue.
- We then see if we have identified more issues, and answer these new issues plus the rest of the other issues by the Thursday. (Last PBL session - Week 2)

Reply 9

Lantana

Original post by lekky

This is similar to what we do at Newcastle, but I would add for us "explaining what we think we already know" as the penultimate point. As well as making up our own objectives, we also get told them at the end. :tongue:

We have 1 case/~2 weeks and feedback varies to how your group functions. We started with everyone doing formal mini lectures and now it's progressed to finding out what people struggled with and everyone chipping in bits to get an answer. We also change the groups every term so I've a new group when I go back!

Reply 10

Dr. Hannibal Lecter

Original post by lekky

using a combination of textbooks, websites, and a few lectures

you mean just wiki, right? :p:

Reply 11

lekky

Original post by JordanCarroll

you mean just wiki, right? :p:

Haha, sometimes but I don't find wiki that helpful. Definitely don't start there :smile:

Normally just to clear up some terminology/concepts or when I haven't found things elsewhere I'll wiki it.

Reply 12

Dr. Hannibal Lecter

Original post by lekky

Haha, sometimes but I don't find wiki that helpful. Definitely don't start there :smile:

Normally just to clear up some terminology/concepts or when I haven't found things elsewhere I'll wiki it.

yeah in all seriousness if you copy+paste a PBL, you learn nothing from it,
good pbls -----> use all teh sources you mentioned and write/type them out
bad pbls ------> copy+paste

Reply 13

carcinoma

Original post by JordanCarroll

yeah in all seriousness if you copy+paste a PBL, you learn nothing from it,
good pbls -----> use all teh sources you mentioned and write/type them out
bad pbls ------> copy+paste

Even if you copied and pasted the answer, when it comes to the feedback pbl session. By saing your PBL bull****, your more likely to remember it, than if you just copied and pasted it, without any form of feedback.

Reply 14

lekky

Original post by JordanCarroll

yeah in all seriousness if you copy+paste a PBL, you learn nothing from it,
good pbls -----> use all teh sources you mentioned and write/type them out
bad pbls ------> copy+paste

It really did surprise me how easy it is to blag a PBL. I wish I'd never found out :sigh:

Christmas 'revision' has been doing the PBLs that I didn't really do (properly) the first time.

Reply 15

ilovehotchocolate

We are supposed to have a what you already know focus in the first session, as some of our judgement marks come from bringing prior knowledge to the session, However everyone in my group appears to be blank canvases who know nothing and don't want to to do that bit. Boy do I get evils when I try and answer any of the questions before we have gone away and researched them using my prior degree knowledge. New groups after christmas, I hope the new lot aren't the same. I get on well with people, but being shot down each week is enough to make even the most patient of people scream. So much for PMS being graduate friendly.

Also, some of the questions we make are impossible to find the answers to, particularly the procedural stuff about what happens when you go to the GP - how does the Dr talk to other professionals, that sort of thing. From getting a job in a GP's I now know the answers, but without that I'd be stuffed. We never answers these questions, even though we make them.

Apart from that, I love PBL.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 16

Renal

Original post by lekky

It really did surprise me how easy it is to blag a PBL. I wish I'd never found out :sigh:

Christmas 'revision' has been doing the PBLs that I didn't really do (properly) the first time.

I made the same mistake, took me until the motivation of 3rd year to sort myself out.

Reply 17

carcinoma

Original post by ilovehotchocolate

That's seriously annoying, the few graduates we have on our side are bloody awesome. Everyone in their groups really makes the most of their knowledge.

The rest of the group still need to go away and research the question too, if they want to learn the stuff. So maybe you could try leaving answers to the feedback sessions?

I dont really get it, you got an example. Because PBL seems to work really well for most groups.

As for the procedural stuff, yea there really is no resource for finding those answers. Except from other peoples experiences.

Reply 18

lekky

Original post by ilovehotchocolate

We have that in the brainstorm, basically brainstorming what we already know about the 'main issues'. So you are trying to answer the questions really! I hope it's just your PBL group, Glasgow has not been like that in my very limited experience, we really appreciate the knowledge of our post grads.

We have new PBL groups in Jan too -- slightly apprehensive!

Reply 19

iq101

My PBL groups remain the same throughout the year ! And being the group leader is annoying when you have an annoying facilitator and your group members want the PBL to end as soon as possible !