ASSESSING STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN PROBLEM BASED LEARNING: RELATIONSHIPS AMONG TEACHING METHOD, STUDENT OUTCOMES AND WORKLOAD. A CASE STUDY IN BUSINESS MASTER DEGREE

This study examines student performance after a change in teaching style from lecture to Problem Based Learning (PBL) and its relationship with student outcomes. It also asseses the teacher perceptions and the suitability of the evaluation method for the new style. I obtain evidence about the limitations of the traditional methods and considerable improvements with the new style applied in a business master degree. Results show that the change clearly overloads students if it is not adequately planned and monitored. Marks, drop-outs and attendance were markedly better with the new instruction method, but also with a higher workload. I also obtain significant differences in the benefits gained from PBL across disciplines. Furthermore, the evaluation method for the new style presents some limitations related with the student individual understanding measurement. In sum, an analysis of assessment results suggests a positive and significant impact on student learning.