Unit II- Problem Solving

What is problem solving?

Problems…problems…problems. Most people spend most of their active hours at work, on road or at home solving problems. Most of the problems we face are simple, few are complex and rarely they are intractable but all of them need to be solved in a satisfactory way. The path from the problem to the solution involves a set of processes. Ideally, we need to study these processes, their limitations and even brainstorm possible alternate solutions to gain a complete understanding of the problem.
Theoretically, problem solving can be an opportunity for improvement from the present state of imperfection to the possibility of a better future. It helps to build and improve skills of the problem solver. It’s also a process that could be pre-designed to acquire knowledge and gain experience and could be a key technique for learning.
In the context of education, problem solving has been traditionally a way to assess the outcome of learning. Class projects, case studies, exercises, examinations have been the primary form of problem solving, designed to practice what we have learnt and to measure performance. However, with a growing need to improve the curriculum, PBL (problem based learning) was formally introduced in medical schools in US in 1950s. By 1970s, this approach was adapted to other disciplines like architecture, law, engineering, business administration and social work. The primary objective of this teaching model is to empower students to learn how to solve problems and think constructively as against the conventional model that focuses on the content of the subject.
In a traditional university classroom, the subject is first introduced to the students and the problems are discussed next, since the idea is to first understand the content and then use the knowledge attained to solve problems. However, this mode of teaching fails to prepare students for the real world where the problems are unstructured and often the solutions are not directly available in textbooks or academic journals. In addition, the students typically work on their own in a traditional curriculum unlike a work environment where teamwork and effective coordination among people actually brings out the best results. PBL redefines the format of the curriculum to address some of these flaws. In PBL, the problem scenario is presented first to the students and all of the learning is organized in the context of the problem. Students usually work in small groups to collaborate and pursue knowledge beyond textbooks to solve the problem. The role of the instructor is a facilitator who works closely with the groups to train them to think about the problem and to ensure that they learn on their own to solve it. Student assessment at the end of course is usually performed through peer and self evaluation in areas like self directed learning, problem solving and collaborative skills as a group member. Therefore the evaluation is primarily on the real issues that was identified through the problem solving process and not on the specific contents of the course.
PBL encourages self-directed learning and helps students to acquire skills that would be useful to them in future life. It motivates them to explore available references, discuss possible solutions with peer group and take responsibility for solving the problem that they are presented with. Students are expected to be independent and creative rather than to fall back to the prescribed solutions by the instructor in traditional curriculum. The role of the instructor is also reinvented as a coach rather than the single point of knowledge and as a result he/she can interact more productively with students to explore ideas beyond what the textbooks will offer. The goal of PBL is to not only meet the course criteria but also to train the students in the art of facing real world tests and to make them lifelong learners.

Are all problem-solving activities meaningful?

Problem solving naturally enhances skills and understanding of the problem domain and helps people to tackle similar problems more efficiently when they encounter them in future. However solving similar problems repeatedly, studying obsolete problems or exploring archaic solutions doesn’t lead to meaningful learning.
In the context of PBL, the design of the problem is the most important factor as it is the central theme around which the entire curriculum is laid out. Intuitively, PBL based courses take longer in comparison to traditional courses as the operational details (forming groups, meeting with instructors, making resources available for problem solving) are cumbersome and might take longer to implement. Therefore it is important to design well formed problems that will stimulate interest among student groups and drive self-directed learning. Uden & Beumont covers a detailed set of principles that should be in consideration for development of these problems or ‘triggers’ which will mimic real-world obstacles that a practitioner will face while not overwhelming the students who are still beginners in the subject. As a result, in PBL the onus is on the instructor to design the course work to challenge the problem solving abilities of the students and strike the right balance between attaining content knowledge and developing intuition for future.

How might we use curricular/technological tools to facilitate
problem solving?

Successful implementation of PBL model requires students to be able to solve problems in classrooms. In the real-world, the use of computer technology is pervasive in almost all professional and academic fields. Therefore, in order to develop problem solving skills among students, the school needs invest in appropriate technology tools and have instructors with relevant training to implement PBL in classrooms. Problem solving should not be a peripheral activity but a central aspect of the coursework and should substitute traditional lectures for the most part.
The first step in using technology is to first define its objectives. Any practical problem solving begins with data collection to understand the domain, to study similar problems in related areas and to review the characteristics of possible solutions. There are numerous resources on the internet that could be the starting point for the students to know about the problem. Online libraries like JSTOR, websites like Wikipedia and search engines like Google and Yahoo are powerful tools to filter through the ocean of information to find the most appropriate content. CDs and DVDs with multimedia content could also be used in classes where the students are beginners to the use of computers. There are certain pitfalls in using internet in classes, especially for children who might find it hard to navigate to the right contents and the instructor needs to train them to structure their search to efficiently find their topics.
Analyzing data is the next step where the students rank and group the outcome of their research and start building postulates. This process requires tools like Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel or several other charting and database packages that can help the user to sort, splice and graphically represent information. This activity is the most important part of problem solving as it helps students to unravel the complexity by means of analysis and deduction. It is an iterative process and might take the most of the student’s time as he/she needs to study references to get a detailed understanding in order to create hypothesis. Solving one aspect of the problem might open up another one and this process of intellectual query leads to meaningful learning. Database tools like Access could be used to store data, sort them by relevance and run queries for further evaluation. Excel is one-of-a-kind product that could be used to create simple charts for illustration and also to deploy advanced statistical tools to uncover hidden correlation among datasets.
Once the students have finalized a solution, it needs to be presented for assessment by instructor and to be opened for peer review. Software tools like Microsoft Powerpoint, Hypermedia, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator could be used to build effective presentations. The purpose at this stage is to summarize the researched data, highlight the result of the analysis and illustrate the solution. Students could be very efficient and creative with the use of these ever-improving software products.
In addition to the above mentioned software, there are other tools that are specific to solving problems in a classroom for engineering, architecture, fine arts and other disciplines. Technology is a vital means for the success of PBL and with the right guidance will be able to push the boundaries of the learning process in identical ways as it changed our daily lives.