Problem Based Learning in the Patients Rights Context

There is an old saying that experience is the best teacher. People seem to remember their own experiences best. Thus, problem-based learning is an attempt to provide students with a learning experience. Students listening to a lecture are like tourists on a tour bus; they sit back and wait for the lecturer to point out the interesting sights. They click a picture whenever the lecturer mentions the exam. Students reading a case study may be more engaged because it is a story about real people; for many people, stories create an image in their minds that they can remember. Problem-based learning starts with a case study, a factual example, but instead of giving an answer, problem-based learning asks the student to create an answer by applying a set of norms to the story. Requiring the student to actively apply a norm or rule to a problem is an experience that a student will not only remember, but will also internalize. What follows is a partial example. The norms to be applied are included in the European Charter on Patients’ Rights, attached.