AAU revisits its PBL: Give your opinion
AAU revisits its PBL: Give your opinion
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AAU revisits its PBL: Give your opinion
By Louise Hartmann, Institute for Advanced Study in PBL (IASPBL)
Photo: Nils Krogh
Problem- and project-based learning is one of AAU's distinctive features and an integral part of the university's teaching practice. Although there may be differences in how staff across the university perceive and use the model in practice, AAU has a set of basic principles for university teaching according to the AAU model for problem-based learning. They were formulated in 2015, and it is now time to revisit them.
Dialogue with teaching staff
A working group set up by the AAU Strategic Council for Education has proposed an updated version of the AAU principles for problem- and project-based learning. It will now be presented to those whose work involves the PBL principles on a daily basis – AAU staff. The working group is therefore inviting all teaching staff and other staff to a series of dialogue meetings in March on the first proposal for the revised principles.
We would like to discuss our proposal for updating the principles with those of you who actually use them on a daily basis and thus know what PBL looks like from your particular perspective
Thomas Ryberg is the director of IAS PBL and chairs the working group that formulated a proposal for an updated version of the AAU principles for problem- and project-based learning.
"The working group conducted interviews widely in the organisation, but of course we’ve only been able to include a sample of teachers in the process thus far, so we hope the dialogue meetings can offer additional perspectives," he explains.
PBL must be able to keep up with the times
According to Thomas Ryberg, the educational landscape has undergone a significant transformation in the last 10 years, and the new generation of students brings new perspectives and needs. For example, students are increasingly focused on well-being and on being part of meaningful social communities with their fellow students. This calls for educational institutions to continuously consider how they can best keep up with developments. In the pedagogical and didactic area as well.
"We would like to see ourselves as a leader in the PBL area, but this position also commits us to continuing to develop our model and keep up with the times; so, we have to reasses at regular intervals," says Thomas Ryberg.
Based on input from the dialogue meetings, the working group will finalise a first draft of the updated principles that will be discussed by the Strategic Council for Education in May 2025. The working group will then arrange further dialogue in conjunction with the individual faculties before the updated principles are submitted to the Executive Management for approval by the end of 2025.
Read more about the process and how you can participate in dialogue meetings below.
About the process for reassessing AAU's PBL principles
Aalborg University's degree programmes are based on the AAU model for problem-based learning (PBL) that derives from a number of basic principles for PBL at AAU. As part of the university's internal quality assurance system, whether the principles require revision must be assessed every six years.
The reassessment of the existing PBL principles took place from early 2023 to mid-2024. During this period, a working group prepared a report for the Strategic Council for Education with recommendations on a possible reassessment of the AAU PBL principles. The report, which is based on a number of qualitative interviews with relevant actors across AAU, was presented to the Strategic Council for Education in June 2024, leading the council to conclude that the PBL principles should be revised.
The working group consists of:
- Thomas Ryberg, Professor, Director, Institute for Advanced Study in PBL, Chair of the working group
- Casper Feilberg, Associate Professor, Department of Communication and Psychology, IAS PBL
- Jette Egelund Holgaard, Associate Professor, Department of Planning, UCPBL, IAS PBL
- Sebastian Rakov, Senior Consultant, Quality and Analysis
- Rikke Vestergaard Matthiesen, Study Board Chair, ENG
- Stine Rasmussen, Study Board Chair, SSH
- Louise Pape-Haugaard, Vice Head of Department, Department of Health Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine
- Ulrik Nyman, Vice Head of Department, Department of Computer Science, TECH