Practical Aspects of Teaching via the Group-Based Learning Environment

As a result of the modern phenomenon of globalization, accrediting agencies and employers alike are emphasizing the importance of non-technical (also called key, transferable, or generic) skills (critical thinking as in design, group skills, and communication skills) in engineering education in addition to the traditional technical skills.While the use of group activities within the context of active, student-centered learning in the basic lecture-based learning environment provide students the opportunity to learn key skills to an extent 1,2 , those skills are better learned in the group-based learning environment 3,4,5 , the two main examples of which are problem-based learning (PBL) and project-based learning.There are, however, many uncertainties regarding how best to teach or facilitate learning in the group-based learning environment.This paper discusses some of those issues and summarizes the results of a year-long practical study to determine some best practices in this approach to teaching and learning.