Student-centered learning with large student groups: Rationale, organization, and experiences in problem-, project-, and team-based learning

Student-centered educational approaches are increasingly being implemented in undergraduate institutions. With the rising number of students and lack of resources, institutions need to gather students in large classes. This study investigated the implementation and adjustment of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) with large student groups. Professionals having experience with PBL with large student groups were interviewed to answer the following questions: (1) What was the rationale behind the implementation of PBL with large groups? (2) How was it organized? and (3) What were the experiences? Results showed that an increasing interest in student-centered methods combined with a lack of sufficient resources was put forward as the rationale for implementing PBL for large student groups. In terms of organization, all interviewees mentioned small group discussions within the large classrooms. Moreover, the integration of technology within and in addition to the class aimed to facilitate the management of large student groups and to enhance students’ collaborative learning. Students’ and tutors’ experiences with large group PBL were mainly positive. These findings suggest that PBL can be applied to large student groups as a small-scale, student-centered educational approach. Small group discussions can still be kept as a critical aspect and technology can help class management and collaborative learning.