Problem-based learning and social software

Introduction

This wiki explores some of the links between problem-based learning and social software.

Leonia Card

Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an innovative educational approach that transforms passive learners into active participants who construct knowledge by building upon previously gained knowledge and experiences (Luppicini, 2003; Major & Palmer, 2001). PBL reflects the following principals of constructivism: understanding comes from interactions with the environment, the learner must focus on a stimulus or goal, and knowledge evolves through the social environment (Savory & Duffy, 2001). McLoughlin and Lee (2007) state that Web 2.0 technologies, such as social software tools (SSTs), have a foothold in lifelong effective learning and have considerable potential to address the diverse needs of students. Here PBL will be explored as a learning approach coupled with the technological trend of SSTs.