Teaching faculty to conduct problem-based learning

This article is aimed at those who undertake a transition to problem-based learning (PBL) and focuses on 3 questions that seem most pertinent to the effort: (a) what is known from past research about training faculty in the skills of PBL?, (b) what skills are important to teach faculty and how does one teach them?, and (c) what options are available for training faculty in PBL?

The success of any PBL curricular initiative requires the assistance of faculty skilled in PBL. The development of faculty with such skills must be a primary and ongoing concern of programs or schools launching such efforts. This article describes the research associated with training faculty to conduct PBL, the skills to be taught, and the training options available.

Few studies document the impact of PBL faculty development strategies. Many faculty experience a difficult transition when retraining to PBL. Training faculty for PBL is often taken to mean training them to be tutors, but there are more skills involved in implementing PBL. Finally, there is an implied sequence to training faculty to implement PBL.