5.6) What is PBL?
Description
This article is from the Medical Education FAQ, by eric@wilkinson.com (Eric P. Wilkinson, M.D.)with numerous contributions by others.
5.6) What is PBL?
PBL stands for "Problem Based Learning." Basically, there are two
basic types of curricula in medical schools today: PBL and so-called
"traditional" learning. Traditional learning is the basic stuff you
had in college--lectures and plenty of 'em, labs, classes taught as
discrete entities (gross anatomy, pathology, pharmacology, etc.).
PBL represents a more integrated way of presenting the materials.
Lectures are kept to a minimum; instead, the emphasis is on small
group learning, teamwork and problem solving. Groups meet and are
given clinical situations in keeping with the current subject
material. These situations can involve anatomy, pathology,
pharmacology, etc. all at the same time. The group then solves the
problems using available resources (library, computers, etc.) and
discusses their solutions. In this way they learn the body as it
is--a set of interrelated systems--instead of in discrete chunks.
That said, PBL is not for everyone. Some people prefer the
lectures. Some schools offer only PBL, some only traditional, and
some give you an option of which you would prefer. Contact the
schools you are interested in and ask them about their curricula.
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