Abstract
Problem-based learning takes a well-deserved place in the educational programs of leading universities in the world. Meanwhile it is known that this approach has been well developed for training students of economy and medicine. There are certain difficulties in setting targets as well as in teaching methods in basic technical subjects, in particular in the mathematical courses. The chapter presents an analysis of the peculiar features of problem-based learning in a research university for basic courses of the first two years of study. The discipline “Numerical Methods and Mathematical Modeling” is given as an example of the application of this approach. The main topics are proposed and lesson plans are provided. The information support of the courses is carried out in the learning management systems. The elements of this approach have been put into practice of training course and it was shown that the material was achieved much better.
TopBackground
This approach has been successfully developed to educate students in the fields of economy and medicine (Iskrenko & Poulton, 2008; Spencer & Jordan, 1999). A review of the references shows that PBL has been widely used in medicine. Recently, this approach had made spectacular progress in engineering education. However, there are limited methodological developments in educational disciplines, including mathematics (see Figure 1). Figure 1, which is based on data from the international citation database Scopus, shows a nine-year containing publications and key words.
Figure 1. PBL in various disciplines
Articles focusing on PBL in both exact sciences and engineering contain, as a rule, a description of the experience of applying this method in a university and for a specific subject. During the last two years, some articles reviewed existing developments and offered generalizations of experiences (Merritt, Lee, Rillero, & Kinach, 2017).
Dionysiou and Ktoridou (2012) reviewed a computer security course for senior students from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. Through the application of problem-oriented teaching, students learned how to make decisions and were encouraged to plan continuous self-education.
Bevinakoppa, Ray, and Sabrina (2016) pointed out that pure forms of PBL were used in medical schools, business courses, and economic disciplines. They found that hybrid training in computer science combined the problem-oriented method, traditional lectures, seminars, and laboratory work. The authors used experiences from Australia’s University of Sydney and Melbourne Institute of Technology as examples.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Student-Oriented Educational Environment: Training aimed at developing a student’s professional skills on an individual trajectory in a creative atmosphere.
Teacher: A teacher is a leader as the independent students work and search for information. The teacher discusses the scientific approach to solving a problem.
Problem-Based Learning (PBL): Learning based on self-searching for solutions to specific problems under the guidance of a teacher.
CDIO: CDIO in engineering education involves teaching future specialists to work throughout the lifecycle of the product using conceive-design-implement-operate.
Multidisciplinary Training: Methods of teaching to reveal the interconnection of sciences in practice, as well as solving complex problems requiring knowledge in various fields of science.