Purdue News

April 14, 2000 Effective teaching and learning? It's a real problem WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Problem-based learning is finding a welcome home campuswide at Purdue University. The proponents of problem-based learning are sponsoring a refereed poster session from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in Room 302, Stewart Center. "It will be teachers talking about teaching," said Joseph M. La Lopa, assistant professor of restaurant, hotel, institutional and tourism management. "The goal of the Problem-based Learning Group, which has been meeting for about a year, is to improve the critical thinking and problem- solving ability of our students." In the sales class that La Lopa teaches, he recently brought in Japanese theme-park managers to talk about their business and challenges they faced. His students' job was to make proposals for marketing the park more effectively. "They love it," La Lopa said. "There are no right or wrong answers. The students get to pitch their ideas to businesses and find out if they will fly. The businesses listen, and even if they don't implement the student teams' proposals, they get a fresh perspective. "The essential idea is that students mutually explore ways to solve a problem." Problem-based learning, while comparatively new on the higher-education scene, can trace its intellectual roots back to the practical, learn-by-doing approach advocated by early 20th century educational reformer John Dewey, according to La Lopa. It harkens back more recently to the Harvard Business School case-study approach that most master of business administration programs, including the Krannert Graduate School of Management, use. At Purdue, the veterinary school introduced problem-based learning in 1997. Professors participating in the discussions on problem-based learning on campus have come from all over the disciplinary map, including pharmacy, management, biology and La Lopa's hotel, restaurant, institutional and tourism management department. La Lopa encourages faculty who are using a case-study approach, or thematic or project learning in their classes, to attend the poster session and contribute their ideas to the dialogue. "Our vision is that every class on campus have a problem-based learning component," La Lopa said. The Problem-based Learning Group is affiliated with Purdue's Center for Instructional Excellence. CONTACT: La Lopoa, (765) 494-6218, lalopaj@cfs.purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page