A student learning perspective on teaching and learning, with implications for problem‐based learning

Over the last 20 years or so, there has been a substantial development in our understanding of how and what university students learn in their courses (here meaning a component of a programme) and programmes of study. This research has shown that rather than there being a direct connection between the way teachers teach and design their courses, and the quality of their students' learning outcomes, the relationship is indirect. The way students perceive and understand their learning context and the way they approach their learning in relationship to these perceptions have been found to be major intervening factors between teachers' teaching and students' learning outcomes. Their perceptions are, in turn, constituted in relation to their prior experiences of teaching and learning and what is designed for them to learn. In this paper, some of the key findings of this research and how it can be related to a problem-based learning (PBL) perspective in higher education are outlined. In particular, it is argued that the variation in students' perceptions and understanding of what PBL is about is fundamental to the way they approach their studies and to their learning outcomes.