What is problem based learning?

The idea of problem based learning is that you start with a question and then go about finding out what you need to know to find an answer. The point is that you always know WHY you are learning something and you only have to learn what you need to deal with the issue.

For example, in a biology course you might be taught various bits of scientific knowledge about cells and how they reproduce and develop to form a foetus; in Science in Society you will start with a problem that needs an answer such as, “Should we use expensive intensive medicine to keep a very premature baby (22 weeks) alive or should it be allowed to die?” and you then find out what you need to know about developing foetal cells to answer the question.