A Case Study on Blended PBL Courses for Enhancing Field Competency in Teacher Education Course

Abstract

This study attempted to present a specific case of blended Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in teacher education course to enhance the field competency of pre-service teachers. The participants were first-year adult learners majoring in Early Childhood Education who were enrolled in the educational psychology course. The blended PBL process was organized by appropriately combining face-to-face and online sessions, following the sequence of 'Course Introduction,' 'Problem Presentation,' 'Subsequent Problem Steps,' 'Presentation of Results and Discussion,' and 'Review and Evaluation of Learning Outcomes.' Five PBL problems were developed, and during the initial five weeks, students were assigned to individually contemplate one problem per week. In the 10th week, a face-to-face group discussion session was conducted. Subsequently, continuous online communication through Learning Management System (LMS) and Social Networking Services (SNS) was maintained, leading to the group presentation of the final project at the end of the semester. The analysis of reflection journals submitted by students after the class was conducted to assess the effectiveness of a blended PBL course. The case presented in this study proposes a form of instructional design that integrates real-world experiences, suggesting a hybrid approach to PBL in education. Furthermore, the application of blended PBL in educational psychology courses suggests the potential to enhance field competency in teacher education courses.