Assessment and evaluation in problem-based learning

While problem-based learning (PBL) is frequently a culture shock to new students faced with its alien paradigm, one might say the same thing about the shock to educators who try to use this technique in their classes. Besides the fundamental challenge of creating a good problem, educators are faced with the task of deciding how to evaluate the technique's effectiveness and how to assess whether students have met the overall learning objectives for the course. It is the authors' contention that traditional assessment techniques such as the familiar multiple-choice and true-false examinations do little to truly assess a student's understanding and far-transfer of the PBL learning experience. Likewise evaluating the success of PBL as compared to more traditional lecture-based classes requires more complex techniques.