Legionnaires Diseases: Problem-Based Learning

Problem-based learning is a strategy that allows students to alleviate their doubts and uncertainties, investigate and find answers to their questions, and explore their curiosities about how the world works (Tillman, 2013). It is a method of teaching that is suited to the way the brain works, presents information in a variety of ways, utilizes different learning modalities, and provides experiences that are hands-on (Etherington, 2011). Students direct what is happening. It is intended to improve students’ ability to transfer knowledge to various settings and problems (Purichia, 2015). Problem-based learning gives power to students to research a problem, to take ideas from theory into practice, and to apply facts to actual situations

In one classroom, a group of high school seniors was given a packet of patient files to search and were placed in the position of public health officials. The 22 patients lived in a community with a population of 20,000. All of the patients had somehow become infected with pneumonia. The students found that at least one of the patients had Legionnaires’ disease. This led to several questions. What is Legionnaires’ disease? Where had this patient caught it? What does this disease do to the body? Did the other patients’ results show any signs of Legionnaires’? Students researched these questions, which eventually led to a local supermarket. There they discovered the source of an outbreak. They needed to know what to do next so some of them researched state regulations and statutes for procedures and what they could do as public health officials. A mock press conference was scheduled where reporters would express concerns about how long it took for them to find the problem. Some of the students created a report in preparation (William & Gallagher,

These individuals will enter the work force equipped with the ability to solve problems without needing someone to guide them through the process. This is the benefit of problem-based learning: it prepares students to be effective citizens and employees. Educators are aware that students may not grow up to become doctors or public health officials. They will branch out into many occupations that will require a wide variety of aptitudes. Problem-based learning is a way to prepare these students to face whatever problems they might encounter in the future regardless of profession (Utecht, 2003). Because PBL is intended to develop critical thinking, research skills, cooperation and collaboration, effective communication and analytical skills, the activities planned must mirror real life scenarios. These problems should not be well structured. In life the problems we face aren’t clearly defined or nicely structured. PBL problems should be the same. This allows students to develop the ability to think through a problem, decide what they know, what they need to know, and how they can gather needed information. It is also important the PBL problems be complex enough to not have a single or specific right answer. Students must not only analyze the problem, they must also analyze the solution to see if