Introducing Problem Based Learning in Moldova: Toward Enhancing Students' Competitiveness and Employability

PBLMD contributed to the improvement of quality of higher education programmes and teaching and learning methodologies in Moldova while enhancing their relevance for the labour market and disadvantaged groups in the society. PBLMD is a national capacity building project that focuses on curricular reform and modernization of higher education in Moldova in accordance with Bologna principles.

The project arose from the need to address the problem of students’ diminishing competiveness and decreasing employability rate in Moldova, as well as the need for implementation of initiatives for the disadvantaged students. The project was also informed by the findings of the structural Tempus-funded “Enhancing University Autonomy in Moldova” (EUniAM) project, such as:
• Need for research-based teaching
• Need for new teaching methodologies
• Need for enhanced quality of teaching
• Need for international exposure of the universities
• Need to cooperate with the industry.

PBLMD addressed these needs by introducing new, innovative (for the context of Moldovan universities) teaching and learning methodology - Problem Based Learning - re-designing six study programmes on the basis of these methods:
• BSc in Business Administration (BSc-BA, AESM)
• BSc in Information Technology (BSc-IT, TUM)
• BSc in Law (BSc-Law, MSU)
• BSc in Public Administration (BSc-EPPA, USARB)
• BSc in Entrepreneurship and Business Administration (BSc-EBA, USC)
• BA in Medicine (BA-MED, SUMPh)

The PBLMD project is funded with the support of the European Union under Erasmus+ programme for a period between October 15, 2015 and October 14, 2018. Aalborg University is the principal applicant and coordinator of the PBLMD project. The total budget of the project is €1,544,760, of which €657,275 is student and staff mobility.