A Case Analysis of Problem-Based Learning via Fabrication Laboratory Applications in a Southwestern Secondary School

Graduate Student Thesis - I explored problem-based learning (PBL), and the process that teachers undergo to implement such a lesson, using the school’s fabrication laboratory (FabLab) as a resource. Six teachers participated in interviews and observations, as well as two lab directors. A PBL 6-step PBL framework guided data collection and analysis: present background information, identify a problem, examine content in relation to problem, explore solutions, test and analyze solutions, and lastly, relate the outcomes of the solution and process to the original problem. The key elements of planning, facilitation, student assessment, and debriefing were discussed.