Module 1 – Online training teaching approach

The online training has been developed on the basis of PBL principles. This is because the expected
outcomes of this online training are directed towards high order competences, since we expect
teachers in the Caribbean to develop the ability to apply PBL in a reflective and critical way in their
own teaching. In order to achieve this (according to PBL), we need to challenge enrolled teachers at
the appropriate level of skills and competences: that of problem-finding and problem-solving.

We have chosen to outline the training programme on the basis of PBL, so you are going to
experience how it works on your own body. As a result of this approach, we expect that you take
responsibility for your own learning process. It also implies that we are actually asking you to try to
‘do’ PBL before you have learned what it is, and we invite you to think of your revision work as a
problem-oriented approach, where you need to figure out, where you want your development
emphasis to lie (your ‘problem’ focus). In practice, this means that we are going to ask you to reflect
about how you can optimize your teaching based on the intentions and questions framed in our
training modules. The idea is that you follow each training module in concurrence with preparation,
confrontation and evaluation of your course. Each online training module has been developed
specifically to inspire and challenge you during specific tasks related to preparing, confronting
students and evaluating your course.

This is a challenging way to appropriate new knowledge, because you would often prefer to be given
better directions, but the experience is that you learn less in that way – so do please have trust in
the pedagogic approach that we have outlined and follow it throughout your process.

The online training programme has different sections aimed at different target groups.
- For students we provide some introduction to PBL and supportive materials concerning PBL
challenges relating to team work, project management and problem-orientation.
- For teachers we provide some instructive introductions to different elements related to PBL in
order to ensure a good understanding of the premises of taking part in a PBL course.
- For course coordinators we provide a more profound and PBL-oriented package that allow the
coordinators to address more complex PBL issues, like how to integrate PBL more profoundly,
engage other teachers and ensure administrative support. Coordinators may also look into the
modules for teachers if a more basic introduction to PBL is desired.

The starting point of the online training for teachers will be specifically focusing on the redesign a
course within an urban planning programme and to exploit this redesign as a basis for:

1) Developing a teaching strategy that activates and engages students in problem-oriented project
work.
2) Applying an interdisciplinary approach to student learning.
3) Establishing a strong collaboration with external stakeholders.

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The online training module should be followed in parallel with the teaching activities to gain the
greatest effect.

The learning objectives for our online training modules are that teachers should be able to:

1) Interpret how PBL principles can be applied in a course in order to support learning objectives
oriented towards high order levels of learning (e.g. design, application and critical reflection).
2) Define learning activities that allow for student-driven problem-solving in an interdisciplinary
perspective.
3) Reflect about PBL based teaching strategies together with other teachers and external
stakeholders involved in development of the course in order to ensure broader contributions to
professional and societal developments within the given field.
4) Facilitate students’ learning processes during the running of the course with starting point in a
restrained teaching position and set up appropriate assessment activities to measure the
accomplishment of learning objectives.
5) Adjust course content based on regular evalutions of student learning outcomes.