Problem Based Learning (PBL): An Innovative Approach towards Teaching and Learning Process

Our education system is changing tremendously causing the replacement of traditional strategies of education in which students are the passive listeners and their only effort is to acknowledge, memorize and reproduce the already fabricated knowledge in an evaluation context. Such approach towards learning doesn't inculcate the desired learning skills among students. Moreover the researches conducted over the last couple of years have clearly mentioned this fact that the conventional methods of teaching generate stoicism among students. So, there is an acute requisite for the evolution and implementation of a new constructivist and technology based instructional method that exposes students to new learning experiences, allow them to go beyond rote learning, to think critically and creatively and to apply their knowledge in solving new and contextual problems. Problem based learning (PBL) is such an approach that has its roots in the theory of constructivism. Education planners and academicians are now moving towards this new approach of education system. The present article first describes the historical origin, theoretical framework, characteristics of PBL and implementation of PBL in educational settings. Then it reviews the researches on PBL. In addition to it, the paper examines the effectiveness of PBL in terms of student learning outcomes and look at implementation issues. Lastly, it provides recommendations for future researchers to carry forward their research work.