Reflection on Doing First PBL

Last month, I had a privilege to attend a course on Problem Based Learning (PBL).

It was organised by the Centre for Academic and Soft-skill Development and held at KUSZA campus at Block Khadijah Room 01. The PBL was presented by Dr Berhannudin Mohd Salleh, a Prof Madya from the University Tun Hussein Malaysia (UTHM). It took place for two days on July 5th and 6th, 2008.

My only exposure on PBL was when I attending a seminar at the Glen Marie Hotel in Shah Alam where I just happened to be sitting in one of the parallel session since the one I chose to be in was really packed. The presenter was from KUIM, if I'm not mistaken and she had shared her experience doing PBL for the first time after having attended a workshop on PBL.

Here, I would like to share the reflection that I wrote at the end of the first PBL workshop:

"Once an obscure idea has now becomes crystal clear. Starting from 10 o'clock in the morning, we started to apply what we have learned about PBL, a trigger and FILA table.

First, we brainstormed on our group's name. Then, we appointed the group leader, the scriber and someone to be in charge of the laptop cum powerpoint slide prep.

The brainstorm was also to determine the topic for our group first PBL project. We considered a few topics from the safety issue due to uprooted rhu trees that are found abundantly on KUSZA campus to the Teaching and Learning facilities that are available or the lack of it. We did discussed about the unsatisfactory condition of the cafeteria on the campus in terms of uncleanliness, drainage and foul smell problems. However, we finally agreed to do a PBL on the Flash Flood Fenomena on the roads at KUSZA campus each time during and after a heavy rain. The word drainage from the earlier discussion helped to pin point the topic for our first PBL.

Our next discussion was to decide on the two objectives that would serve as a scope or a beacon to direct our PBL project.

1. To identify the causes that lead to flash flood.
2. How to overcome the flash flood problem.

Then, we prepared the FILA table to determine the facts, ideas or hypothesis, the learning issues derived form the hypothesis and the action to be taken to address the learning issues or what we need to learn more about.

The FILA table helped a lot in term of pinpointing our next action or what action to be taken next and thus assigning each of those task to group members evenly and fairly.

The rest is history.

We had so much fun doing our first PBL. Personally, I can't wait to share this with the students. "

mmmm... I did my first PBL with the students immediately in the following week! :-D