| U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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| Volume IX, Number 2 |
March
2004 |
| U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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| Volume IX, Number 2 |
March
2004 |
Kenneth R. Etzel, Dental MedicineProblem-based learning (PBL) provides a truly different environment that requires students to apply knowledge from many fields concurrently.
Students in the School of Dental Medicine during the first two years of the curriculum receive basic science information which provides the foundation for the practice of dentistry. Although faculty often are effective in applying this information to the practice of dental medicine, students typically focus on what they need to know for examinations, rather than appreciate the clinical significance of the basic sciences. Problem-based learning (PBL) provides a truly different environment in which students for the first time relate the practice of dentistry in fundamental terms to the biological sciences which have been presented to them in a didactic environment. For example, clinical scenarios involving head and neck trauma, systemic diseases, and endocrine disorders challenge the students to utilize anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, microbiology (i.e., to understand the biological basis of health and disease). Based on the premise that students discovering information on their own will retain knowledge and remain eager to learn, small groups of 8-10 students each are presented with real-world, multifaceted problems. Formulating solutions requires students to apply knowledge from many fields concurrently in order to successfully resolve a problem. (In other words, to think!) Specialty faculty work in rotation with each of the 10 student groups, sharing expertise from their particular areas. In the final analysis, PBL challenges students to think holistically, act independently, and evaluate fairly. | ||||
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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