I wanted to take this opportunity to let everyone know about a project that I and a group of NSCC faculty, administrators, and students have been working on. One application of critical thinking teaching modalities in the classroom is through the PBCL model (Problem-based Case Learning). This method creates a partnership between faculty, students, and industry to bring real-world problem solving into the classroom. Since there are usually many ways to solve the business problem, the learning is rich in critical thinking skills. Several faculty on campus are involved in pursuing this methodology.
I am a member of the ITL staff. The ITL (Innovation in Teaching and Learning) staff, located in the CITE office on our campus, has been working in partnership with the NSF (National Science Foundation), WGBH in Boston, and The Midwest Center for Information Technology to develop a rich learning resource to understand the PBCL model and connect with a community of practice to use PBCL in the classroom.
The culmination of this effort is the Making Learning Real web site (http://www.makinglearningreal.org). The site is finished and has just gone live. Please take a moment and check it out. You will see video interviews with administrators, faculty, students, and local Nashville business partners. There are several links in the Community and Training section if you are interested in learning more.
This resource is meant to be a national resource for dissemination of the PBCL teaching model. Feel free to share this resource with your students, clients, and colleagues.