Operation of a Model using Project Based Learning in Health-Related Departments : Qualitative Case Study

The aim is to implement project-based learning (PBL) models in healthcare-related departments (physical therapy, medical laboratory science, early childhood education) through department-specific case studies. The common PBL process for each department was divided into three stages: Pre-class (preparation), In-class (execution), and Post-class (conclusion). The preparation stage involved team-building and the concretization of project plans. The execution stage included field research, problem identification, data analysis and organization, and proposing solutions. The conclusion stage involved refining materials and submitting the final project outcomes. The physical therapy department applied the PBL model for 4 weeks with 98 students in the research methodology class. The medical laboratory science department implemented it for 5 weeks with 30 students in the biochemistry class. The early childhood education department used the PBL approach for 4 weeks with 38 students in the teaching practice class. The common PBL process implemented in the physical therapy, medical laboratory science, and early childhood education departments at wonkwang health science university positively contributed to fostering the 4C skills (creativity, cooperation, critical thinking, and communication) among students.