Here are the opinions of students and instructors who have been involved with PBCL courses. Many of the interviewees are participants in the courses featured on the Four Classrooms and PBCL Stages in the Classroom pages.
Select a video to watch:
They don't need me to tell them what's in the book; they need to know how to apply what's in the book. And if you bring in a client or real case, an authentic case, they can apply what's in the book to a real-world situation, and have it make sense. Because if you learn facts, but you have no frame of reference, you can't remember them and you can't use them. Once you use them in a context, and they make sense, then you really learn them forever.
With the real company, though, you can't say, "Oh, well, this will work here. And stick it there and we'll say it passes." You have to actually make it work.
Going out there and getting hands-on experience—to hear the site superintendent in the field talking about the stuff we've heard in class—really makes it hit home. Whenever a teacher tells you about words, it's just words. Whenever you talk to someone who’s using the material, it becomes material.
Some of the things that my students really struggle with are, "How do I take ownership of a particular task? How do I sit on my hands until somebody else gets their part of the project done? How do I open up communication? How do we work as a team?" The answers to those questions represent real skills that are essential in the workplace. And I see students finding their own answers every day in this PBCL environment.
