Abstract:

Introduction: Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through a case study. It involves working in small groups of learners guided by a tutor. The PBL course develops skills as, knowledge acquisition, teamwork, problem solving, clinical reasoning, creativity, responsibility for learning, as well as enhance group collaboration and communication. Research has shown that implementation of creative experience into a learning process promotes these skills. Furthermore, it contributes to the process of understanding abstract and complex concepts. In addition, it enhances active learning, encourages students to develop a deeper understanding of the study material, and promotes independent, critical and creative thinking. Students express better their ideas about the concepts being studied, and the extent of their participation increases. The inclusion of creative experience creates an informal learning environment that enables students’ collaboration, promotes emotional involvement, self-confidence, reduces anxiety and enhances enjoyment. Moreover, the tutors get a deeper insight into the way in which the student perceives the concepts studied. Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the outcomes of including a creative experience (as a collage) within a PBL meeting in occupational therapy (OT) curriculum. Method: During one of the meetings of the PBL course, 65 first year OT undergraduate students were asked to create a collage reflecting the case study they chose, followed by a discussion of the experience. Six tutors and 10 students participated in the study. Qualitative analysis was conducted using a single focus group for three tutors, semi-structured interviews for three others and open questionnaires for ten students. Findings: The following preliminary categories emerged from both students and tutors: a change in the meeting atmosphere, an increase in the emotional involvement and attachment to the client in the case study, improved social interaction and familiarity among students and a change in learning skills such as clinical and creative thinking. Conclusion: Creating a collage experience during the PBL course may be a beneficial mean for promoting learning and social skills of students. This is especially essential for OT's students as they are required to think creatively and be empathetic toward patients. The findings suggest that there are advantages in expanding the teaching methods in PBL course by adding a creative experience. Further studies comparing PBL groups with or without collage are warranted.

Keywords:

Problem-Based Learning, creative experience, learning skills.