Problem-based Learning in Higher Education: Modern Approaches, Models, and Methods

The article examines the essential features of the theory of problem-based learning, which in domestic pedagogy is associated with scientific research by scholars from the 1970s-1990s. Based on the analysis of foreign scientific sources, the conceptual principles of problem-based learning in higher education are presented. This approach aims at developing students’ ability to independently identify and solve complex problems, work in a team, and learn throughout life. The theoretical positions of H. Barrows, as one of the founders of problem-based learning, and the main features of such learning are also discussed. The essential characteristics of problem-based learning models («Pebble in the Pond», Challenge-Based Learning (CBL), 4C/ID, case-based learning, project-based learning) and relevant methods (case-based lectures, simulations, «repeated problem method», case analysis, project modeling, etc.) are explored. The principles (the problem as the starting point of learning, student-centeredness, interdisciplinarity, the role of the teacher as a facilitator, etc.) and functions (cognitive, motivational, social, professionally-oriented) of problem-based learning in higher education are characterized, along with the difficulties and shortcomings of its implementation in the educational process.