The Why and How of Problem-Based Learning?

In 1966, the faculty of medicine at McMaster University started conceptualizing medical education, which subsequently led to the evolution of what is known as ‘The McMaster Philosophy’ [1]. Strong emphasis was placed on the discrete capacities of the student physician rather than having a store of knowledge. Dr. Burrows, at McMaster, explored the reasoning capabilities of both medical students and expert practitioners and found that students learned more effectively through problem situations. In 1969, the learning experiences were transformed from traditional, i.e., fact memorization, to problem-based learning at McMaster University [2].