Draft problem-based learning process for this course

All steps except independent studies and lecture-on-demand take place in groups.

Session 1:

• Problem statement and introduction of new concepts. The teacher presents the problem for groups to examine, and introduces new concepts.
• Initial group discussion. Choose a chairman for this problem, in a rotating manner. Agree on possible collaboration during the study period.

Study period 1:

• Independent studies to learn the new concepts and algorithms. Use the course book, online materials, do exercises, draw pictures, write code, run experiments, meet/talk/chat with your group members, or whatever works best for you. Try to obtain a good ("deep") understanding of key concepts and algorithms and how they work and behave.
• Identification of topics that would benefit from teaching. Submit at least one question which was raised while studying. It can be a point that is in your view of particular interest, or an issue that you would like to discuss in class. The more questions and the more discussion and better insight they generate, the better...

Session 2:

• Group discussion of learned material 1. Meet in groups to discuss and compare what you have learned and to teach eachother what you have understood best.
• A small individual self-evaluation test on the material, to give students and teachers an idea of what has been learned and where there are problems.
• Lecture on demand. Based on feedback from the students, a short lecture will be organized on topics they want to learn more about.
• Group brainstorming. Return to the problem, and discuss how the new (and old) concepts and algorithms could be used to solve the problem. Are there many different ways? What could the results look like? What kind of issues are there? Bring up and discuss concepts, principles and hypotheses, but do not go into details yet.
• Group planning. Analyse, structure, and evaluate results from your brainstorm. Formulate your goals, e.g., the output that you want to produce and that would be useful for the original problem.
• Setting learning objectives. Identify what you need and want to learn to implement the plan. Write down the objectives for learning.

Study period 2:

• Study independently and in group. Study towards your learning objectives (see above). Try to reach goal you had identified, i.e., find a solution to the original problem.

Session 3:

• Group discussion of learned material 2. Meet in groups to discuss and share your learnings. Also identify problems and open issues. Finalize your the group report. Evaluate how the group worked and how you reached the learning objectives.
• Debriefing and closing the problem (see Reporting).