Call for Papers – PBL and Creative Processes

25-10-2013

PBL and Creative Processes

The aim of this special issue is to uncover both theoretical, philosophical, pedagogical and aesthetical aspects of the contradictions and interactions between the collective and the individual in creative learning processes. To this end we need to view the learning process from a variety of different angles, for example, the individual student vis-à-vis group processes, as a personal journey, as a collective journey, and to obtain the insider perspectives of those who teach PBL, and their relationship to professional business partners and studios from real world settings. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a pedagogical approach that encourages those who take part in its processes to act both as supportive change agents working in collaboration with colleagues, and also as individuals to use their creativity in finding solutions to practical problems. The process of questioning the issues and finding novel  solutions using the creative spirit are also challenging for those who teach and deliver PBL based curriculum, and poses some fundamental questions. For example, is it possible to teach creativity as process pedagogy in formal classroom settings, especially within the context of PBL pedagogy? Are we inhibiting individual creativity at the expense of consensual and collaborative group work problem definitions and solutions? Furthermore, in the design process there are always many ways and solutions to solve the same problem, so how can we be sure that we choose the right concept to finding the optimum solution to practical problems? What is the role of PBL in this context? How do space, form and materiality impact upon PBL and creative processes? What can we learn from the flow and conflict in the PBL process and how can we improve both the aesthetic and pedagogical aspects of PBL education?

The themes that we suggest for this special issue are:

  • Design processes and PBL - flow and conflict
  • Intuition and innovation – its role and relationship to PBL
  • The design processes - individual versus collective/consensus lead processes
  • Experiments and method – PBL in action
  • Space, form, materiality and pedagogy – how can we deliver PBL more creatively?
  • The work of the genius and lonely designer versus the collective
  • Limitations and freedom of expression within the PBL paradigm/process
  • A theoretical and philosophical critic of the ruling PBL pedagogical paradigm
  • A critique of PBL as a pedagogical model – why is there a reluctance of Higher Education Institutions to adopt this approach?

 Key dates

  • 15th of January: Submission of abstract/indication of interest
  • 1st of March: Notification of acceptance for submitting full paper (full paper will go through review)
  • 1st of July: Submission of full paper
  • 1st of September: Reviewers’ response and editorial decision
  • 1st of October: Submission of revised papers (if needed)
  • 1st of November: Issue to be published

Submission and Review Process

Prospective authors intending to submit apaper for the special issue are asked to supply a 500-word extended abstract outlining the content and aims of the proposed paper, plus a list of 7 to 10 key references that the paper will be informed by and/or drawn/built upon. The editorial team will review the proposals and identify approximately 10 that would be suitable to be developed into full papers.

Please send the abstract to: Jane Bak Andersen jba@learning.aau.dk by the 15th January 2014.

Full manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the journal's author guidelines and submitted via the journal’s manuscripts system - Open Journal Systems http://ojs.aub.aau.dk/index.php/pbl/. Manuscripts for the special issue are to be between 4,000 and 7,000 words in length. (Please note that the word count is all-inclusive of the title, author details, approx. 150 words abstract, keywords and reference list as well as any tables and appendices that the manuscript may contain). Manuscripts must be original and may not have been previously published nor been under consideration for publication elsewhere at the time of submission to PBLHE and throughout the duration of the review process. Each full manuscript will be subjected to double-blind peer review. It is envisaged that 6 or 7 articles will ultimately be published in the special issue.

Queries and requests for further information may be directed to the editors-in-charge of this special issues for JPBLHE, Ole Verner Pihl op@create.aau.dk or Andrew Armitage Andrew.Armitage@anglia.ac.uk

Abstracts or papers not selected for the special issue will be considered for the regular issue of JPBLHE. And JPBLHE remains open to on-going submission of papers.

About the Journal of PBL in Higher Education

ISSN: 2246-0918
First published in 2013.

The Journal of Problem Based Learning in Higher Education (JPBLHE) has been launched to provide an opportunity for scholars to publish:

  • High-quality research articles that contribute to the current and future development of problem-based learning in higher education.
  • Review articles examining the development of problem-based learning in higher education.
  • Articles examining the intellectual, pedagogical and practical use-value of PBL or which extend, critique or challenge past and current theoretical and empirical knowledge claims within PBL in higher education.
  • Articles examining theoretical, pedagogical and practical aspects of how networked technologies or ICTs can be used to support or develop problem-based learning.

Articles on PBL research relating to the concepts of problem-based learning in any other wider social and cultural contexts.

Editorial board of Journal of Problem Based Learning in Higher Education:

  • Prof. Anette Kolmos (UNESCO Chair in Problem Based Learning), Aalborg University, Denmark
  • Prof. Anthony Williams, Newcastle University, Australia
  • Prof. Erik De Graaf, Delft University, Netherlands & Aalborg University, Denmark
  • Prof. Erik Laursen, Aalborg University, Denmark
  • Prof. Lars Bo Henriksen, Aalborg University, Denmark
  • Prof. Madeleine Abrandt Dahlgren, Linköping University, Sweden
  • Prof. Paola Valero, Aalborg University, Denmark
  • Prof. Yves Mauffette, The Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Canada
  • Associate Professor Khairiyah Mohd. Yusof, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia
  • Prof. Thomas Ryberg, Aalborg University, Denmark
  • Assistant Professor Diana Stentoft, Aalborg University, Denmark