Supporting Student Self-Regulated Learning in Problem- and Project-Based Learning

Abstract

In order to be successful in problem-or project-based learning (PBL), students must take responsibility for the learning process by setting goals, monitoring, reflecting, and sustaining their motivation from the beginning of the project until the end. However, for many students, these processes do not occur naturally or easily. Therefore, the learning environment and teaching practices in PBL must be designed with intention to support students' self-regulated learning (SRL). This paper describes specific learning environment features and teaching practices that have been shown to foster student responsibility for learning in each phase of PBL, with the purpose of providing educators with guidance for developing SRL in PBL, and ultimately, student motivation and ability to learn. To accomplish this, a theoretical model of the relationship between PBL and SRL is presented, along with research-driven guidelines on how to promote student responsibility for learning in PBL.

Producing an Online Undergraduate Literary Magazine: A Guide to Using Problem-Based Learning in the Writing and Publishing Classroom

“…Many students in the first course quickly became frustrated and disengaged, a frequent occurrence in PBL classrooms with overly unstructured or ill-structured problems (English & Kitsantas, 2013 However, the question assumed a foundational understanding that was not present in the learners. Instead, I needed to ask, "How have other writers built successful online literary magazines?…”

“…Students lacked "problem familiarity" (Sockalingham & Schmidt, 2011, p. 21), an important aspect of course design. In an attempt to maximize student ownership of the project, I had not provided enough baseline knowledge or scaffolding, steps which are essential to well-constructed PBL (English & Kitsantas, 2013). The next time the course was offered, I asked students to use the Gold Crown Award-winning 2010 print edition as a template for the online model.…”

“…Creating and using a skeletal template (a reproduction of the print publication online) reduced the class's frustration and allowed points of entry for both novices and experts. When facing high levels of frustration, providing more form and direction to the ill-structured question (Savery, 2006) can improve student performance and lower frustration (English & Kitsantas, 2013). Figure 3 illustrates the results of this approach and how students generated multiple solutions to the ill-structured question.…”

“…These groups selected and edited pieces for the magazine. They also elected leaders in each area to communicate with the magazine RUNNING HEAD: A Guide to Using Problem-Based Learning in the Writing and Publishing Classroom lower frustration (English & Kitsantas, 2013). Figure 3 illustrates the results of this approach a how students generated multiple solutions to the ill-structured question.…”

(Re)Counting Meaningful Learning Experiences: Using Student-Created Reflective Videos to Make Invisible Learning Visible During PjBL Experiences

“…Citing empirical research that explores goal orientations in PjBL learning contexts, Blumenfeld et al (1991) highlighted that when students adopt the notion that "learning is perceived and valued as an end in of itself " (p. 370), they are more likely to be motivated to learn and will engage in higher levels of cognitive and metacognitive stimulation. Despite the growing use of PjBL in K-12 educational environments, many researchers (Belland, French, & Ertmer, 2009;Catapano & Gray, 2015;English & Kitsantas, 2013;Krajcik et al, 1994;Tamim & Grant, 2013) acknowledge the pedagogical difficulties educators could potentially encounter as they implement PjBL, such as measuring learning outcomes over the course of the PjBL learning experience.…”