678 Module 4 Discussion

Hello Class,

I really enjoyed applying what we learned last week to our actual curriculum.  I am already in the process of manipulating activities to be more PBL in nature and this project gave me another nice push in the right direction.  This week, we were to develop one of the lessons a bit further towards a true PBL for the students.

I teach two courses, Biology and Anatomy.  However, in our Biology class we have an Anatomy unit.  One of my activities, Patient Files, for the anatomy unit in Biology got me thinking.... What if I applied that principle on one activity in Biology to my entire Anatomy class?  You guys still with me??

I am now thinking of actually starting off next year in my Anatomy course with a PBL that lasts the entire year.  Basically it will look like this:


  • Kids will get 6 patient profiles that they are supposed to see as medical professionals.
  • As they learn more about each patient and their symptoms it will give me an opportunity to teach or have them explore a specific system.  
  • Students will still have units like : Circulatory, Respiratory, Digestive, etc.  But, will progress through them according to how and when they diagnose a patient or discover an issue the patient is having.  
  • Students will keep track of all 6 patient files in a binder along with the traditional system notes.
  • By the end of the semester 3 patients will be "solved" and diagnosed by the students.  
  • Traditional assessments should still work with the units and other activities done in previous years can still be done as well.  
What do you guys think?  The trick will be setting it up to make the students think they are driving the course, when in actuality I have specific lessons planned for specific times.  I think it will make the material more authentic and make the class feel more like a medical topics type class.  What problems could you guys see popping up with this approach?

I am mainly excited about the authenticity of the PBL approach.  Anatomy can be very "sit and get" at times and this should provide an opportunity to get away from that a bit.  I look forward to your comments!

Thank you,

Jim Nielsen

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