A Qualitative Study on How Health Professional Students and Their PBL Facilitators Perceive the Use of Mobile Devices During PBL
Main Article Content
Abstract
Mobile devices are increasingly being used by undergraduate students to access online information in the problem-based learning (PBL) process, initially in the self-directed phase, and more recently within face-to-face tutorials. This qualitative study across three undergraduate health professional programs used semi-structured interviews to investigate facilitators’ and students’ perceptions of mobile device usage in PBL tutorials. Transcribed interviews were analyzed thematically, drawing on the principles of grounded theory. Implications for future practice were identified. Students perceived that mobile devices are useful and convenient for instant access to various sources of information, for note taking, and for visually sharing their research and ideas. Despite some facilitator concerns that mobile devices are potentially distracting in face-to-face PBL tutorials, students prioritized collaboration through brainstorming and sharing ideas with group members in face-to-face tutorials over searching online. Facilitators and students suggested practical guidelines for mobile device usage in tutorials to enhance critical thinking in PBL.
Article Details
1. Publication and Promotion: In consideration of the Publisher’s agreement to publish the Work, Author hereby grants and assigns to Publisher the non-exclusive right to print, publish, reproduce, or distribute the Work throughout the world in all means of expression by any method now known or hereafter developed, including electronic format, and to market or sell the Work orany part of it as Publisher sees fit. Author further grants Publisher the right to use Author’s name in association with the Work inpublished form and in advertising and promotional materials
2. Copyright: Copyright of the Work remains in Author’s name.
3. Prior Publication and Attribution: Author agrees not to publish the Work in print form prior to publication of the Work by the Publisher. Author agrees to cite, by author, title, and publisher, the original Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning publication when publishing the Work elsewhere
4. Author Representations: The Author represents and warrants that the Work:
(a) is the Author’s original Work and that Author has full power to enter into this Agreement;
(b) does not infringe the copyright or property of another;
(c) contains no material which is obscene, libelous, defamatory or previously published, in whole or in part.
Author shall indemnify and hold Publisher harmless against loss of expenses arising from breach of any such warranties.
5. Licensing and Reuse: Reuse of the published Work will be governed by a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/4.0/). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon the Work non-commercially; although new works must acknowledge the original Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning publication and be non-commercial, they do not have to be licensed on the same terms.
References
Ang, S., Chia, Y. B., Chan, I., Leung, K., Li, K., & Ku, K. M. (2012). The survey on mobile library services in Hong Kong and Singapore academic libraries (pp. 1–53). Hong Kong, China. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10722/152520
Barak, M., Lipson, A., & Lerman, S. (2006). Wireless laptops as means for promoting active learning in large lecture halls. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38(3), 245– 263. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15391523.200.10782459
Bridges, S. M., Botelho, M. G., & Tsang, P. C. S. (2010). PBL2.0: Blending learning for an interactive, problem- based pedagogy. Medical Education, 44(11), 1131. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.2010.03830.x
Bridges, S. M., Botelho, M. G., Green, J. L., & Chau, A. C. M. (2012). Multimodality in problem-based learning (PBL): An interactional ethnography. In S. M. Bridges, C. McGrath, & T. Whitehill (Eds.), Researching problem- based learning in clinical education: The next generation (pp. 99–120). Netherlands: Springer.
Bridges, S. M., Dyson, J. E., & Corbet, E. F. (2009). Blended learning, knowledge co-construction and undergraduate group work. Medical Education, 43(5), 490–491. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.13652923.2009.03345.x
Chan, L. K., Lu, J., Ip, M. S. M., & Yip, L. M. (2012). Effects of video triggers on the PBL process. In S. M. Bridges, C. McGrath, & T. Whitehill (Eds.), Researching problem- based learning in clinical education: The next generation (pp. 139–150). Netherlands: Springer.
Corbeil, J. R., & Valdes-Corbeil, M. E. (2007). Are you ready for mobile learning? EDUCAUSE Review Online. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/are-you-ready-mobile-learning
Das, M., Mpofu, D. J. S., Hasan, M. Y., & Stewart, T. S. (2002). Student perceptions of tutor skills in problem-based learning tutorials. Medical Education, 36(3), 272–278. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2923.2002.01148.x
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2000). Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Dochy, F., Segers, M., Bossche, P. V. D., & Struyven, K. (2005). Students’ perceptions of a PBL environment. Learning Environments Research, 8(1), 41–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10984-005-7948-x
Hmelo-Silver, C. E., & Barrows, H. S. (2006). Goals and Strategies of a Problem-based Learning Facilitator. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, 1(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1004
Hmelo-Silver, C., & Eberbach, C. (2012). Learning theories and problem-based learning. In S. M. Bridges, C. McGrath, & T. Whitehill (Eds.), Problem-based learning in clinical education: The next generation (pp. 99–120). Netherlands: Springer.
Lu, J., Lajoie, S. P., & Wiseman, J. (2010) Scaffolding problem based learning with CSCL tools. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 5(3), 283– 298. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11412-010-9092-6
Lu, J., Bridges, S. M., & Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2014). Problem- based learning. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences, 2nd ed. (pp. 298–318). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Nestel, D., Ng, A., Gray, K., Hill, R., Villanueva, E., Kotsanas, G., . . . . Browne, C. (2010). Evaluation of mobile learning: Students’ experiences in a new rural-based medical school. BMC Medical Education, 10(57). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-10-57
Ng, M. L., Bridges, S., Law, S. P., & Whitehill, T. (2013). Designing, implementing and evaluation an online problem-based learning (PBL) environment—A pilot study. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 28(1–2), 117–130. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/02699206.2013.807879
Robeledo, S. J. (2012). Mobile devices for learning: What you need to know. Edutopia, The George Lucas Education Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/mobile-devices-learning-resource-guide
Sbaraini, A., Carter, S. M., Evans, R., & Blinkhorn, A. (2011). How to do a grounded theory study: A worked example of a study of dental practices. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 11(128). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-11-128
Schmidt, H. G. (1983). Problem-based learning: Rationale and description. Medical Education, 17 (1), 11–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.1983.tb01086.x
Taxler, J., & Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2005). Evaluating Mobile Learning : Reflections on current practice. Mobile Technology: The Future of Learning in Your Hands. Retrieved from http://oro.open.ac.uk/12819/1/mlearn05_Traxler&Kukulska-Hulme.pdf
Teall, E., Wang, M., & Callaghan, V. (2011). A synthesis of current mobile learning guidelines and frameworks. In World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2011 (pp. 443– 451). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/38749
Trigwell, K., Prosser, M., & Waterhouse, F. (1999). Relations between teachers’ approaches to teaching and students’ approach to learning. Higher Education, 37(1), 57–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1003548313194
Whitehill, T. L., Bridges, S., & Chan, K. (2014). Problem-based learning (PBL) and speech-language pathology: A tutorial. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 28(1–2), 5–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/02699206.2013.821524
Wilson, M., & Bollinger, D. U. (2013). Mobile Learning: Endless possibilities for allied health educators. Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, 29(5), 220–224. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/8756479313503734