Problem Based Learning

The problems:

  1. Have some degree of complexity.
  2. Require inquiry and reflection.
  3. May have no simple single solution.

The students will:

  1. Be active learners.
  2. Be engaged by the problem.
  3. Think synthetically.

The group:

  1. Will be organized with a rotating leader and recorder.
    1. The leader is responsible for organization of the group's effort to solve the problem.
    2. The recorder is to keep a record of the group's deliberations and to prepare the final written report.
  2. Members will undergo peer evaluation regarding:
    1. The degree of active participation.
    2. The quality of creative input.

The reports:

  1. Will be the product of the group's effort.
  2. May include oral progress reports.
  3. Will include final oral and written reports.

Report Guidelines

  1. Include team members' names, indicating who was the leader and who was the recorder.

Report Evaluation

  1. Each team member will evaluate the other members of the team using the official form.
  2. The instructors will evaluate each team's final presentation and report.
  3. When appropriate, each team will be asked to evaluate another team's final report.

Group Assignments

First Half

Group 1:        
Group 2:        

Second Half

Group 1:        
Group 2:        

The Problems (tentative)

  1. Functional Genes
  2. Restriction Mapping
  3. DNA Forensics
  4. Shortest Superstrings
  5. Gene Translation and Prediction
  6. DNA Arrays
  7. Discovering Permutations; Modeling a Genome