There are a lot of reasons why Africa should adopt application based learning which is also known as problem-based learning (PBL). Before we give any reasons, we shall first discuss what problem-based learning is. Problem-based learning can be said to be one of the most vital innovations in the education sector in the last Century. The benefits of problem-based learning and changing the face of education has helped many institutions with those in resources poor settings to put the adoption of the PBL curricula into consideration. Though it is not yet certain how whether PBL will be successful in such settings. PBL naturally allows for the integration and organization of learnt information to be easily recalled and applied. With this, PBL graduates are lifelong learners with logical flexibility to use different knowledge sources to solve problems.
Problem-based learning is not new at all in the education sector, it has been around for roughly a century but in the last 10 years, it has appeared to be preferred in most tertiary institutions worldwide. Some institutions and faculties have adjusted to the problem-based learning in other to make their programs to be more centred on students, multidisciplinary and to also be professionally relevant. There are several pieces of evidence that shows that PBL is more effective and has more advantages to the traditional system. Apart from the fact that it encourages students to put more attention and effort to their own education, it has also helped in enhancing critical thinking and promoting the collaboration among students, this is one of the key reasons why Africa should adopt application-based learning.
Six Reasons Why Africa Should Adopt Application-Based Learning
Application-based learning or problem-based learning was originally used in medical schools and in business schools, but now, it has been adopted in different disciplines and in different levels of education. This format of education involves carefully constructed open-ended problems which group of study come together and work through it till they arrive at a solution. Below are some of the reasons why Africa should adopt application-based learning.
- It is centred in students.
- It is more enjoyable and satisfying for the students.
- It develops a lifelong learning skill.
- It prioritizes student learning.
- It aids in retention.
- It is used as evidence that institutions values teaching.
Above are some of the major reasons why Africa should adopt application-based learning which is also known as problem-based learning.