Buck F. Brown DUE 9553705 Rose-Hulman Inst of Tech FY1995 $ Terre Haute, IN 47803 Advanced Technological Education Title: Problem-Based Learning: A Key to Enhanced Performance in Advanced Technological Education Education in the United States is at a pivotal juncture. U.S. citizens must compete in a demanding global society, but our educational systems are struggling with outdated approaches and stagnant budgets. The "knowledge explosion" of the past 20 to 30 years has provided advanced technological education with the singularly difficult challenge. The traditional answer to this "knowledge explosion" has been to pack more "essential facts" into the curricula Careful consideration of this issue suggests that an information-laden society requires resourceful skills, insights, and abilities; hence, educational innovation must focus less on facts and more on problem solving and inquiry-based learning. The Wabash Valley Educational Alliance seeks support for the implementation of an important educational vision and the establishment of a permanent cooperative effort within the Wabash Valley (west central Indiana). This project addresses instructional methods that will impact the education of students of technology, science, mathematics, and engineering in two year, associate degree granting institutions. It will affect educational approaches at all levels of technology; produce new curricula materials including problems and examples; provide a "living" video series of applications; and create a national, refereed, electronic database for sharing problem-based materials and experiences. Problem-based instruction concentrates learning around "real-world" problems similar to those encountered by practitioners in the field. In problem-based learning the teacher' s role changes quite dramatically from that in a traditional learning s ituation. The teacher must guide the students in the problem-solving process, directing them through questioning techniques. Problem-based learning can help students become critical thinkers and problem solvers. There is significant potential for its further refinement and widespread application to advanced technological education. This potential, if fully developed, can place technological education in a leadership role and heighten it's visibility among the professions.
