Tutor Notes

Prior to the start of the case study the tutor should:

• Check the scheduled PBL timetable at the start of the academic year and note when they are expected to be a tutor
• If any significant periods of planned absence overlap with their tutoring commitments then the tutor is expected to swap their tutoring role with a colleague and inform the PBL co-ordinator of the change
• In the week prior to the start of the specific PBL exercise they should read the briefing documents provided both for the students and for the tutors which will be circulated by the case study champion

During the initial case briefing session the tutor should:

• Attend so that they can confirm what the students have been told
• Introduce themselves at the end of the session to their group
• Organise the time, place and location of the first group meeting at a time that is convenient for the whole group. Typically this will be on the day of the briefing meeting

During the case group meetings they should:

• Ensure that a chairman, secretary and a scribe are selected and ensure that they know their respective roles
• Stimulate the conversation by asking questions which will enable the group when appropriate to explore the material in more depth
• Supervise the group learning process
• Encourage less vocal members to participate
• Resolve any significant disputes
• Record the attendance of the group
• Complete the meeting review forms for the case group
• Ensure that subsequent follow up meetings have been arranged
• At the final meeting the tutor should review the draft submissions such as the presentation or a report. Then they should point out any obvious factual errors and provide advice on style and format of the final submission

At the end of the case study the tutor should:

• Attend the assessment event (presentation, trial, poster session or other evaluation)
• Produce a mark for each of the groups who you observe and return the completed evaluation form to the case champion
• Collect from their PBL group the peer review forms and collate the marks
• Complete the case group assessment forms and return them to the case study champion at the end of the session

Please note that the tutor is also responsible for moderating the individual scaling factor generated from the peer review process. This should reflect each individual performance with consideration to the feedback from the peer assessment forms completed by all the students at the conclusion of each project as well as reflecting their own observations recorded on the meeting review form.