Virtual teamwork and PBL - barriers to participation and learning

Abstract

This paper identifies and discusses several barriers to student participation and hence student learning in Problem Based Learning (PBL) course which utilises virtual teams. The majority of student teams work entirely in virtual space, having no face-to-face contact with either other team members or the team academic facilitator. The course has run for 7 years, with several offers per year and a comprehensive evaluation has indicated it is successful in meeting key learning objectives and forming learning communities. However the virtual aspect of teamwork and PBL has lead to new and different problems arising with respect to student participation and learning. A model is proposed which maps student engagement and learning in virtual teams. It provides a framework for further investigation, development of resources and facilitator training to support student learning.