Objectives

With this new CoP initiative on problem-based learning, we aim to accomplish the following objectives in the current triennium:

1. Foster idea/experience exchange and collaboration among PolyU’s faculty members (at the beginning of CoP) and students (in the longer term of CoP development), enabling them to address relevant science, technology and policy issues in university education related to problem-based learning and inductive instructional methods.
2. Foster good teaching and learning practices for providing rigorous and inquiry-based education for PolyU’s students to solve complex real-life problems that involve scientific, technological, societal, regulatory, and business issues, etc.
3. Enhance university teaching and students’ development with self-directed and reflective learning attitude through integration of problem-based learning methods at the levels of individual courses and programme curriculum.
4. In the long term, create significant international and local impact on the promotion of educational research on both disciplinespecific and interdisciplinary problem-based learning in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.

Expected Outcomes

The expected outcomes include:

1. Build new linkages and relationships between academics and other stakeholders (e.g., students, alumni) at PolyU who are interested in leveraging problem-based learning approach to enhance student’s deep learning;
2. Reach out to substantial number of peripheral members across PolyU and steady increase in the size of the core group members for the long-term development of CoP;
3. Provide wide dissemination and awareness of the full capabilities of problem-based learning as an instructional method to foster student’s development into self-directed and life-long learners;
4. Foster gradual integration of problem-based learning components at different levels, from individual courses to programme curriculum in different departments and faculties across PolyU;
5. Achieve steady increase in the use of PBL across various programs offered by PolyU;
6. Promote good practices on university’s teaching with a particular focus on improving student’s learning environment and overall experiences at PolyU;
7. Serve as a peer support community and information hub for colleagues who are keen to promote inductive learning.

Work plan and activities

• Peripheral members, student and alumni members will be recruited through multiple channels including EDC workshops/seminars, departmental newsletter/posters, core member’s recommendation/promotion, etc.
• Core members: proactively participate in the CoP activities and steer new initiatives and new implementation of PBL across the University; Peripheral members: attend the CoP activities and share information and experiences related to PBL practice in different disciplines; Student and alumni members: offer unique and practical feedback from the learner perspective on the impacts and outcomes of PBL on their own learning.
• Potential topics for seminars/workshops by invited guests include experience sharing on PBL design and implementation in specific discipline, educational research frontiers on PBL integration, effectiveness of PBL for enhancing desirable graduate attributes, etc.
• Criteria for mini-project fund will be referenced to existing criteria used for other CoP, and the types of mini-project that can be funded will be confirmed with EDC colleagues, such as designing/preparing teaching resources/materials for PBL in specific disciplines, teacher experimentation of PBL instructional skills, educational research and learning analytics on PBL integration, etc.
• Criteria for conference sponsorship will also be referenced to existing criteria used for other CoP, which serve for presenting in teaching and learning conferences related to PBL and Higher Education, and subsequently sharing the information and good practices outside PolyU through sharing sessions and invited seminars at PolyU.
• Financial sponsorship will be provided to incentivize core/peripheral member’s active participation for mini-projects and conference presentations of high priority.