Four modern learning principles of PBL

What exactly do we mean by ‘modern learning principles’?

Constructive education
Learning should be an active process, in which you gain knowledge from your experiences and interactions with your environment. You are encouraged to think about what you already know, and you learn to integrate new information with this prior knowledge. This helps you to really understand the subject matter, form well-founded opinions and acquire new knowledge, rather than just learning things by rote. You will notice that it is easier to remember things this way.

Self-directed education
The learning process is something you manage yourself by planning, monitoring and evaluating this process. The tutors and lecturers are there to assist you, but you as the student are the driving force. As the programme progresses you learn to direct your own learning process in a motivating and effective way. You will find that this enables you to keep on learning for the rest of your life.

Collaborative learning
You are encouraged to learn from others. By exchanging ideas with your peers and providing one another with feedback, you come to understand the subject matter much better. Learning is not an individual process; it is something you as a group share responsibility for.

Learning in a relevant context
You study relevant, true-to-life cases, which have real meaning in today’s society. In this way you learn how to tackle a wide variety of topics, as well as how to make the all-important leap from theory to practice.