Abstract:
The present thesis is the result of a research project on implementing problem-based learning (PBL) as a teaching method for higher education at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW)/Germany. The project investigates the impact of sustainable learning amongst the participating students by self-estimation over a period of three years through an experimental intervention design.
The present thesis takes a closer look at the analysis and evaluation of the undertaken case study based on the teaching format of PBL and the associated disposition and personal development of the students. Therefore, the teaching design and implementation process of the PBL case study carried out are documented, and the quantitatively measurable learning outcome as well as self-estimated dispositions, are analysed. Both aspects are considered in relation to one another: On the one hand, the exams regarded as the ‘final product’ of the case study based lectures are taken into consideration; on the other hand, the research design also includes descriptive self-observations noted by the students themselves.
Once the influential factors have been identified, they should be fed back into the teaching practice to optimize it. The research question therefore is: Which impact and interrelation exists between the employment of the PBL teaching method (in the frame of the DHBW system), the students’ dispositions before and after those case study lessons and their individual development during the learning process in comparison to traditional teaching designs?
Therefore, the contribution of this thesis is relevant with regard to this aspect: It will present important findings concerning the possibilities of teaching and learning strategies that are of particular interest for the guided self-study program design at the DHBW.