A Problem-based Learning Approach to Teaching Research Methods in Geography
Contact details
Rachel Spronken-Smith,
Department of Geography,
University of Canterbury,
PB 4800 Christchurch,
NEW ZEALAND
Email: rachel.spronken-smith@canterbury.ac.nz
Classification Category
- Development of student research/consultancy skills
- Using teaching and learning processes to stimulate research processes
Teaching- research links
This course links teaching and research through:
- the focus of the course on research methods
- students learning about research by solving a research problem
- research problems which are relevant to professional practice
- course assessment related to specific research
skills including:
- comparative critique of two papers related to research problem
- oral and poster presentations
- group written report
- individual critique of their learning about
research
Context
We recently revamped our third year geography research methods course to take a problem-based learning (PBL) approach. In this approach the emphasis is on students learning by being fully engaged in solving a problem - the problem is encountered first, students work in groups to solve the problem and all assessment relates to how well the problem is solved and communicated. Furthermore, the problems are carefully chosen to be relevant to professional practice that geographers undertake. Thus the learning can be more relevant and meaningful - something that undergraduates often desire. The use of a PBL approach develops important skills in teamwork and also assists students to adopt a deep approach to learning. A deep approach to learning is when students seek greater understanding and meaning in the material they are studying (rather than simply opting to rote learn and memorize the material without reflecting on its significance).
So how is this course taught?
The course runs for one semester which is equivalent to about 130 hours of student effort. We have developed a set of problems (Appendix A) with the Canterbury Development Corporation, CDC which is associated with the local city council. This is to give problems that are relevant to professional practice (something that was sought by past graduates in a survey in 2000). The class initially meets in a lecture theatre to discuss the goals of the course, its PBL approach and a representative of the CDC introduces the research problems. Students are then able to indicate which problems are of interest and placed into groups of 6-8 with a staff tutor (with a role of 65 we have 9 groups and 8 tutors but in future years we plan to have one tutor overseeing about 3 groups each). Subsequently students meet in groups with their tutor, for a two-hourly meeting each week.
Learning is assisted by two field trips. The first occurs two weeks into the semester and focuses on the research process and the PBL approach. It is run as a series of workshops on research design and research skills as well as group work on a local problem. The second field trip is run as a residential conference towards the end of the course, in which student groups present their results both visually via a poster session and in oral sessions.
The course is fully internally assessed with all items of assessment relating to solving the problem. The assessment involves a comparative critique of two papers related to their research topic (20%), conference presentations (30%), group report (20%) and an individual critique of their learning in GEOG309 based on data in their reflective diaries (30%). The conference presentations are self and peer-reviewed as well as assessed by the Canterbury Development Corporation representative. There is also an element of self and peer assessment in relation to contribution to group work.
The course is strongly supported by web resources using WebCT as a framework (Appendix B). The web pages cover basic housekeeping for the course, learning resources (which has a wealth of information on the research process), and makes very good use of the discussion facility where each research group has their own ongoing discussion of their research project, and has to post meeting minutes.
What has been the response?
The tutors have found the teaching to be challenging (it is a student-centred rather than a teacher-centred approach and this can be a challenge for some) but very rewarding.
"Its very rewarding as a teacher, to see highly motivated, interested and enthusiastic students."
Generally the groups become independent very quickly and need little input from staff. Knowing how much to intervene though, is a difficult and often frustrating call for tutors. PBL does depend on good group dynamics and so we are very careful in our first group session and on the first field trip to try and facilitate good group processes.
Student response so far is very encouraging. For example:
"309 is very challenging because it requires more intensive group work than I have done before. Also the groups are not necessarily peers you have ever had contact with, which is mirrored in the 'real world'... really learnt about group dynamics and project planning. I am learning a lot about how I work in a group with others and also how to deal with people in a group... this will be very valuable in the future"
Of course the response is not all good as some students still prefer to work as individuals:
"I prefer the lecture and lab approach for 3 reasons:
1. It is more structured
2. I prefer to work as an individual
3. The lecture and lab approach allows more flexibility to study as necessary and when motivated, and to cruise when other needs are more important, or when I don't feel like doing anything."
Despite the few negative responses, we are sufficiently encouraged by the general enthusiasm and highly motivated nature of most students, to continue teaching in this mode.
Hot tips and things to look out for
- Think carefully about your choice of problems. The fact the students are doing problems for an external agency seems to add extra motivation and enthusiasm so we would recommend trying to get some professional practitioners involved. As well as having them introduce the problems, try to get a representative to also be involved in assessing the presentations at the residential conference.
- You need to pay careful attention to establishing good group processes. To do this we showed an excellent video on collaborative learning (Macbeth and McCallum, 1996). This stimulated some good discussion about how groups function, and we then worked with the groups to establish ground rules for how the groups would operate. This lead to unpacking the roles of the group participants as well as the role of the rotating chair. The fact the first field trip occurred so early in the course also helped to build good group dynamics, since a large part of the weekend was spent in group work. Next year we plan to include a team-building exercise on this trip.
- The choice of tutors must also be done with care. The whole approach
relies on student-directed enquiry with some guidance from their tutor.
Our tutors (both new and experienced) have found it a challenging role.
They have related feelings about the loss of control and frustration over
letting the group flounder around to learn by themselves. Knowing when to
step in is a difficult call!
Summary
This geography research methods course explicitly links teaching and research.
This is through the focus on research methods and the problem-based learning
approach in which the students learn about research by being fully engaged
in the research process. The items of assessment all involve research skills
and the use of peer assessment mimics the professional research world. The
use of research problems devised by an external agency seems to add extra
motivation for the students. Certainly students are enthusiastic and stimulated
by the approach. Feedback so far from both staff and students, has been very
encouraging so we are confident the course will take a similar form next year.
While this course focuses on applied research, the research skills learned
can be put to use to solve pure research problems. Several other undergraduate
courses within our department focus their research projects on pure research.
Therefore our students should develop a well-rounded profile of research skills
for different applications.
Ackowledgements
This course was developed by a teaching team that included Drs Julie Cupples,
Simon Kingham and Martin Single, Professors Ian Owens and Andy Sturman, and
Jordy Hendrix and Marleen Maertens.
References
Macbeth, J. and MacCallum, J. 1996: Collaborative learning: working together in small groups. Video (23 mins) Murdoch University, Perth.
Appendix A: Research Problems for Groups
The overarching theme for the course is the sustainability of Christchurch city. For each problem the groups must prepare an oral presentation and a poster for the residential conference, and a written report for the Canterbury Development Corporation. In brief the problems are:
- What role do the media play in the air pollution debate?
- How well is the Christchurch public prepared in the likely event of a major earthquake hitting the South Island?
- Should CDC support the rebuilding of the Lyttelton marina?
- How can New Brighton be redeveloped to achieve enhanced public accessibility to the coastal environment while maintaining hazard mitigation?
- How do different road users compete for space in Christchurch?
- Is the current water use by urban Christchurch sustainable?
- How do cultural understandings about gender and ethnicity construct barriers to gender and racial equality in the workplace?
- What are the implications of a policy of zero-waste both on the environment and on the Christchurch public?
Appendix B: Web Resources
This appendix illustrates the web resources used in the course (note that these pages are still under development). Figure B.1 shows the home page of the course with the different facilities. The course housekeeping pages are shown in Figure B.2 and the wealth of material on the research process is indexed in Figure B.3. The discussion facility has been very useful for both project management and sharing of ideas. Each group has their own ongoing discussion. Mid-way through the course there had been about 300 messages posted between the nine groups.
Figure B.1: The homepage of the course.
Figure B.2: Course housekeeping homepage.
Figure B.3: Learning resources homepage. This page provides access to a wealth
of material on the research process, research skills and useful links.