Problem-Based Learning meets AI in the classroom
PBL (Problem Based Learning) has been the used teaching method of Maastricht University since 1976. It is an active approach to learning where students work in small-scale groups to solve and analyze problems. But as AI (artificial intelligence) becomes increasingly present in the classroom, it begs the question: What role should AI have in PBL?
In his doctoral dissertation, Marc Becker researches how the success of AI depends on its social abilities as it is beginning to operate as our coworkers, managers, leaders, and even our teachers. His research, among other things, explores how AI can support the learning process of students.
Confidentiality and learning in the classroom
Marc has conducted research on the importance of confidentiality during the learning process of students. In his experiment, students worked on problem solving tasks while being able to consult a ‘robot teacher’ powered by AI models. The robot teacher could either share the student’s interaction with a human instructor or keep it confidential. The result was clear. Students interact more frequently with the robot teacher if their conversations are kept private. “Students use the AI tutor significantly more when their interaction was confidential,” Marc notes.
“Students often worry about appearing incompetent or asking the wrong question, making them less likely to use the AI when their human teacher can see what they say and ask.” The effect of the confidentiality was especially strong among prevention-focused students - students who are generally more afraid of making mistakes or doing things wrong. For students who are less concerned about negative evaluations, confidentiality made far less difference. “There was a clear gap between these groups,” Marc notes.
Marc shows that this behavior of the student also depends on the teacher’s perceived benevolence. When students trust that a teacher genuinely has their best interests at heart, sharing certain questions and answers becomes less threatening. “If you believe your teacher wants to help, oversight feels different,” he says. At the same time, Marc acknowledges a trade-off. “You can design a platform that feels completely safe,” he says, “but then you lose insight into students’ learning progress. And if you design it for tracking said things, students may avoid it.”
Marc Becker obtained his PhD from Maastricht University. He is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management at SBE. In addition, he serves as co-coordinator of the SPARK pilot.
Integration rather than prohibition
Besides writing his dissertation, Marc is also one of the coordinators at SPARK. There, he is involved in piloting a revised version of PBL at Maastricht University’s School of Business and Economics (SBE). This pilot also test the integration of AI into the overall curriculum. Some believe that AI has no place in PBL education, arguing that the four learning principles (constructive, contextual, collaborative, and self-directed learning) cannot fully develop with AI. Marc takes a different approach. The aim, Marc explains, is not to introduce AI for the sake of introducing AI, but to create learning experiences in which it adds meaningful value to PBL.
“For example, if a student did not fully understand the material, they can work through it beforehand with the AI,” Marc notes. This is especially helpful for students who do not understand a small part of the lesson material and are intimidated by asking for help during class. In such situations, AI could function as a preparatory companion. Marc also sees potential for AI to simulate real-world scenarios that are otherwise hard to experience. For example, students can practice pitching to a CEO or presenting a case to a judge. In this way, AI can enrich PBL in ways that were not possible before.
While some are so concerned about the growing use of AI in education that they believe it should be banned entirely, Marc does not see that as a realistic solution. “Most students already use AI and they must be ready to do so when they enter the labor market,” he says. “The question is not whether they are allowed to use AI, but how we teach them to use it responsibly.” For Marc, AI in education is not only an opportunity but also a responsibility. “Teachers were even once afraid of calculators, thinking their use would make students less cognitively engaged” he reflects. Universities must prepare students for a future in which AI is commonly used in their prospective professional fields.
Tekst: Milou Scholten
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