International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Volume 1, Number 2, 2007
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Abstract
Engendering the Scholarship of Problem-based Learning
In this case-based research article, we describe how the implementation an instructional method, problem-based learning, across disciplines at a single institution stimulated scholarship on teaching among the faculty involved in the project. We conducted interviews with 30 participating faculty and administrators and triangulated these data with a document analysis of project documents, course portfolios, meeting minutes, and the project Web site. Our institutional-level analysis focuses on the campus environment and how it supported and/or constricted the scholarship of teaching across campus. At the faculty-level, we describe faculty perceptions about and experiences with producing scholarship on their own teaching.
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Betsy Palmer
Montana State University
Bozeman, Montana, USA
bpalmer@montana.edu
I am an Associate Professor of Educational Research and Statistics and Higher and Adult Education at Montana State University. I primarily teach graduate courses in research methods and courses on issues related to postsecondary teaching, students and curriculum. My research focuses on college student epistemological development and non-traditional pedagogies such as Problem-based Learning and Service Learning. I also regularly conduct research on my own and other’s classroom interventions and their effect on student learning. Prior to becoming a faculty member, I worked for over 13 years in college student services and academic advising. I earned a B.A. in Psychology/Sociology from Whitman College, an M. Ed. in Higher Education from Western Washington University and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the Pennsylvania State University.
Claire Major
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
cmajor@bamaed.ua.edu
I am an Associate Professor in the Higher Education Program at The University of Alabama. My teaching and research interests focus on college and university faculty and their approaches to scholarship. I've published numerous articles and two books: Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty, which was coauthored with Elizabeth Barkley and Patricia Cross, and Foundations of Problem-Based Learning, which was coauthored with Maggi Savin-Baden. I regularly teach courses related to college teaching and have presented research nationally and internationally. I serve as Coordinator of the Higher Education Program, Director of the Executive Ed.D. program, and Editor of the Journal of General Education. My Ph.D. is from the Institute of Higher Education at The University of Georgia.