Transcript
NARRATOR
Welcome to Maastricht University. Are you ready? Wait a minute. That's what you were expecting, but that's not how we do it. Small tutorial groups. That's better.
Maastricht University is known for problem-based learning, PBL. We solve complex problems ourselves using real-life cases. Each group has 12 to 15 students, and we divide the different tasks between ourselves.
Dozing in lecture halls is not an option. We all participate actively in the discussion. One student leads the discussion, ensuring that it stays on track. To make sure we don't forget anything, the secretary takes notes of what we say. The other students, too, play an active part. Together, we ensure that the group process runs as smoothly as possible.
So what does a tutor do? He or she is specially trained to monitor the whole process, making sure we don't miss anything. But we often make good progress by ourselves, and so the tutor stays in the background. Let's go back to the case.
A case is a problem from everyday professional practise. This may be a scientific problem. We each receive a text describing the case, and we read it carefully.
If the case is complicated, we'll need strategy and teamwork to solve the problem. The tutorials provide a safe environment where we learn to communicate effectively, discuss, and cooperate with one another. We start by examining the case.
Through active brainstorming, we try to get a picture of the puzzle and its individual pieces. We're often amazed at how much we already know. The next step is to cluster the pieces of information.
Theories are separated from experience, causes from consequences. In this way, we get a good idea of the structure of the problem. Finally, for each category, we search for the missing pieces of the puzzle.
Based on what we need to find out, we formulate learning goals. These are concrete questions that help us to identify the required information. The tutorial's over. It's time to go and do some research.
Working independently and using the research skills we've learned, we each look for answers to the learning goals set during the tutorial. In some courses, you may have to go to the university library and find the resources you need. In other courses, these are provided.
After a few days, we meet again. In this session, we each present our findings. Based on what we've found out, we try to arrive at a solution. Usually this goes fine, but sometimes it can be hard to bring all the information together, as not everyone has come up with the same findings.
Fortunately, the tutor is there to help us reach a consensus. The knowledge and experience of the tutor come in handy. We repeat this process in every tutorial. Of course, we also have lectures, but their role varies between different courses and programmes.
Problem-based learning is a good match for very motivated and dedicated students. With PBL, we learn more than just facts. We learn to conduct our own research, to think, and work in a solution-focused way. We learn to collaborate with others and deal with feedback. And we're always actively involved in the tutorials.
In this way, we remember more, not least because the tutorials always alternate with practicals and skills-training sessions. The skills vary per programme, from analysing statistical data to pleading a court case or examining a patient. Once more, we work in teams.
This experience will come in handy in our future careers. We learn to understand and respect other people's points of view. And our students come from all over the world. This makes our learning environment highly international, dynamic, and innovative. Problem-based learning at Maastricht University, giving you a solid foundation for your career.