Problem-based learning, according to Wikipedia (and it's true) is "a student-centered pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through the experience of solving an open-ended problem found in trigger material."

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I use problem-based learning in my wildlife ecology courses--I typically start each unit with a "problem case" that is read in class, and the students work in groups to establish what they think they need to learn to solve the problem.  I establish my learning objectives for the course and each unit, but the students actually develop a set of learning issues to pursue--and they closely match my learning objectives for them, because of the way that I have written the problem cases. The situation creates 'reality' and 'context' for the course, and it gives the students ownership of their classroom experience.

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I'm often asked how the process works--especially the introduction of a problem case to the class.  I had the good fortune to watch Dr. Mark Ryan engage his class at the University of Missouri-Columbia, as I was learning to use PBL.  If you don't have the opportunity to watch a PBL-based course in person, I've designed this web site to show you how I took my Wildlife Management Techniques class through the first day of a problem case. 

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The guide is designed as a series of web pages.  You can follow my class through the problem case introduction, by clicking on 'next page'.  Or, you can go directly do a specific topic by using the links at right.