If PBL is the answer, then what is the problem?

This paper identifies and analyzes problems with routinization of
project work in PBL-based degree programmes and points towards
possible solutions. The paper uses a survey of students’ and
supervisor’s perceptions of project work in the context of attempts to
emphasize problem-based aspects of project work in the undergraduate
degree programme in computer science at Aalborg University. Danish
PBL-based higher education institutions espouse the qualities of
problembased projects but actual practice shows a different
picture. The predominant use of project catalogues and the formal
requirements imposed by accreditation inhibit central intentions
behind problem-based project work. The study reported on is limited to
a specific degree programme and to a particular approach to dealing
with the problem of routinization. The findings in this paper point
towards the need for action research into new ways of structuring
problem-based project work in different settings. We identify the need
for a further discussion of the conflict between the espoused ideals
of PBL and the actual practice at PBL-based higher education. In
particular, much greater attention should be devoted to the practice
of semester coordination. This paper gives a critical analysis of the
practice in PBL-based higher education and should be of value to
practitioners and decision makers in these settings.