The Republic Polytechnic (RP) is the newest polytechnic in Singapore to provide tertiary level educational services to support the technological and economic development of Singapore. In a bid to provide an education that is better attuned for the student’s ultimate working career, RP decided to adopt a bold and unique campus-wide Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach. RP engages students in deep learning activities so that graduates can meet the demands of an evolving and globalised technological society which requires them to be responsive to unexpected and difficult situations.

RP's Novel PBL Approach

What makes RP’s approach to PBL unique are its beliefs about what constitutes learning and the application of technology to foster a genuine learner-centric environment where the learners have greater control over their learning and hence be more participative in their learning.

RP’s PBL uses a reflective pedagogy to foster a learner-centric environment. It entails a daily routine that is designed to move students away from simply imitating learning through the accumulation and recounting of information, to constructing a personal understanding of concepts. RP’s PBL curriculum is designed to offer students the opportunity to explore knowledge concepts in ways that are meaningful to them, rather than what the teacher or expert thinks is important. They become more proficient in learning and at making meaning. Students who graduate from RP will take with them the lifelong skills of reasoning and thinking critically.

Technology Augmentation in the PBL Process

RP’s learning environment is enabled through the application of technology that fosters a learner-technological-centric environment. RP adopts many new campus-wide initiatives that include the following:

• A completely wireless (and paperless) environment.
• A wholly online assessment system.
• A library of online resources for staff and students.
• IT tools for staff and students to construct learning objects and to build artefacts that demonstrate their understanding.
• Online discussion platforms and instant messaging services.

RP Campus

Republic Polytechnic is one of the first institutions to implement PBL across its curriculum and to have a purpose-built campus to support its pedagogy. The campus comprises large numbers of facilitation rooms called study clusters.

The campus is surrounded by the greenery of the Regional Park and the green fields of the Sports Complex. It is blended into the natural site contours with scenic courtyards, lawns, and green plazas to create a pleasant learning environment.

Educational Research in RP

The Technology Development Centre (TDC) for Learning at RP is responsible for research on learning in general and learning within PBL. Projects being undertaken by the TDC include studying the effects of PBL on improving students’ self-directed learning behaviours, the implementation of holistic assessment, the use of information technology and the process of knowledge construction within the RP-PBL context.

If you want to know more...

To know more about Republic Polytechnic, visit our website http://www.rp.sg (Webpage opens in a new window).

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