Distributed problem-based learning at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

Abstract

SIU School of Medicine piloted a Distributed Problem-Based Learning (DPBL) project in Spring 1999 to support the authentic PBL method used in the curriculum. The pilot included face-to-face (FTF) tutor group sessions augmented by DPBL in which the group participated from distributed sites.The pilot provided a list of observations including: the changes in the role of the facilitator, the feeling by students that information presented during DPBL was more likely to be more well thought-out and articulated than in face-to-face sessions, the value of being able to review session transcripts and whiteboards from any time and place, and the feeling that all students could respond to queries.Technological issues include Internet Service Provider (ISP) responsibility, collaborative software functionality, presentation of the problem in a way that supports free inquiry, submission of resources to the web site, and data collection.Future plans include platform-independent software, a database for collection of data as information is entered on the whiteboard, a database that presents the problem in a more intuitive, responsive manner, and a web page that allows resource submission by group members.