Knowledge Application and Transfer for Complex Tasks in Ill-Structured Domains: Implications for Instruction and Testing in Biomedicine

Feltovich, Paul J.; Coulson, Richard L.; Spiro, Rand J.; Dawson-Saunders, Beth

doi:10.1007/978-3-662-02833-9_12

Cited by 34 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…A prerequisite for flexible knowledge is getting learners engaged with a breadth of conceptual ideas during PBL tutorials (Jonassen, 2011). Having students engage with a range of conceptual ideas is important in helping learners develop the integrated and flexible knowledge that they will need for their future practice (Diemers, van de Wiel, Scherpbier, Heineman, & Dolmans, 2011;Feltovich, Coulson, Spiro, & Dawson-Saunders, 1992;Hmelo-Silver, 2004;Teasley & Roschelle, 1993). The goal of this paper is to examine the extent to which students cover the related conceptual space (RC) afforded by a PBL problem through a content analysis of group discourse and learning issues.…”

Section: Creating a Learning Space In Problem-based Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creating a Learning Space in Problem-based Learning

Hmelo‐Silver¹

2013

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

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An important aspect of PBL problems is the affordances that they hold for engaging students in discussion of important content knowledge. In this paper, I argue that one can analyze a problem in terms of a deep problem space and a broader learning space to identify the conceptual ideas for potential engagement. The problem space refers to the specific ideas and concepts that are part of the goals of the problem at hand. The learning space includes those aspects of the problem space and also includes the broader space of related conceptual ideas such as the anatomy and physiology related to a particular disorder or the pathology and clinical medicine of other disorders that might be considered as part of a differential diagnosis. This idea is tested in an exploratory analysis of a PBL tutorial conducted by Howard Barrows. The results demonstrate that much of students' talk is focused in these related conceptual spaces and a substantial amount of the overall learning space is engaged in the group discussion. These results have implications for understanding the affordances of problems and providing another lens on how learning unfolds in a PBL problem. It also provides another means for evaluation of learning and assessment of discursive productivity in PBL groups.Keywords: content analysis, conceptual knowledge, PBL tutorial http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1334 Creating a Learning Space in Problem-based Learning 25• volume 7, no. 1 (Spring 2013) Creating a Learning Space in Problem-based Learning One of the important goals of problem-based learning is to help students develop flexible knowledge that they can apply to problems. A prerequisite for flexible knowledge is getting learners engaged with a breadth of conceptual ideas during PBL tutorials (Jonassen, 2011). Having students engage with a range of conceptual ideas is important in helping learners develop the integrated and flexible knowledge that they will need for their future practice (Diemers, van de Wiel, Scherpbier, Heineman, & Dolmans, 2011;Feltovich, Coulson, Spiro, & Dawson-Saunders, 1992;Hmelo-Silver, 2004;Teasley & Roschelle, 1993). The goal of this paper is to examine the extent to which students cover the related conceptual space (RC) afforded by a PBL problem through a content analysis of group discourse and learning issues. This paper re-analyzes data from similar fine grained analyses of Howard Barrows as a tutor and knowledge building within PBL groups (Hmelo-Silver & Barrows 2006;2008). The end result is not only a complementary perspective to prior work and good fit for the special issue but a critical extension that incorporates the nature of the problems and associated learning issues.Comparisons have been made between PBL and traditional students on the content they have learned (e.g., Dochy, Segers, Van den Bossche, & Gijbels, 2003;Vernon & Blake, 1993;Walker & Leary, 2009) as well as examination of the learning issues that were produced (Dolmans & Schmidt, 2000;Hmelo-Silver, 2000). Other studies have examined ideas discu...

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Section: Creating a Learning Space In Problem-based Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creating a Learning Space in Problem-based Learning

Hmelo‐Silver¹

2013

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

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“…Invisible, dynamic phenomena pose considerable barriers to understanding (Feltovich, Coulsen, Spiro, & Dawson-Saunders, 1992). One reason for this is that processing all the simultaneous events and interactions pose a substantial load on working memory because of the mental simulation process and rule-based inferences needed to construct a complete mental model (Graesser, 1999;Narayanan & Hegarty, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing expert and novice understanding of a complex system from the perspective of structures, behaviors, and functions

2004

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Complex systems are pervasive in the world around us. Making sense of a complex system should require that a person construct a network of concepts and principles about some domain that represents key (often dynamic) phenomena and their interrelationships. This raises the question of how expert understanding of complex systems differs from novice understanding. In this study we examined individuals' representations of an aquatic system from the perspective of structural (elements of a system), behavioral (mechanisms), and functional aspects of a system. Structure-Behavior-Function (SBF) theory was used as a framework for analysis. The study included participants from middle school children to preservice teachers to aquarium experts. Individual interviews were conducted to elicit participants' mental models of aquaria. Their verbal responses and pictorial representations were analyzed using an SBF-based coding scheme. The results indicated that representations ranged from focusing on structures with minimal understanding of behaviors and functions to representations that included behaviors and functions. Novices' representations focused on perceptually available, static components of the system, whereas experts integrated structural, functional, and behavioral elements. This study suggests that the SBF framework can be one useful formalism for understanding complex systems.

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“…This difficulty in overcoming 'incorrect' models (even subsequent to explicit instruction) has also been noted by DiSessa (1982) and McCloskey et al (1980), and it seems to arise because people avoid multiple perspectives when faced with a problem because such alternatives introduce too many action sequences to think about given the inherent limitations of WM capacity (cf. Feltovich et al 1992). This account also relates to the phenomenon of 'cognitive tunnel vision', which is interpreted by Moray (1999) as the choice of an inappropriate mental model coupled with an unwillingness to change to a potentially more appropriate model.…”

Section: What Is a Mental Model?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Internal representations, external representations and ergonomics: towards a theoretical integration

Richardson

Ball

2009

Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science

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Ergonomics is concerned with how humans interact with systems to perform tasks that achieve goals. This interaction requires thought processes that construct and manipulate mental representations of situations to enable the selection of task-oriented actions having predicted outcomes. The argument for a link between concepts of mental representation and the concerns of ergonomists is a critical theme in the present review, which assesses the current state of knowledge regarding the nature of mental representations and the way in which they are deployed to enable effective system interaction. Other issues that we tackle head on include: (1) the vast range of existing terminology that underpins discussions about representational constructs; (2) the important role of memory in understanding mental representation; and (3) the tight coupling between external and internal representations during task performance. We conclude by proposing a novel, explanatory framework that aims to integrate disparate notions of mental and external representation.

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Knowledge Application and Transfer for Complex Tasks in Ill-Structured Domains: Implications for Instruction and Testing in Biomedicine

Cited by 34 publications

References 23 publications

Creating a Learning Space in Problem-based Learning

Creating a Learning Space in Problem-based Learning

Comparing expert and novice understanding of a complex system from the perspective of structures, behaviors, and functions

Internal representations, external representations and ergonomics: towards a theoretical integration

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