Problem Library | Institute for Transforming University Education

Problem Library: 115

Title	Excerpt	Author	Discipline	Length	Level
“A Poem has a Life before it Gets into my Anthology?”: Manuscript Editing and Problem-Based Learning	Where does the poem you read in an anthology originate? Is the copy in your anthology a good copy of that original?	McKenna, Bernard	English	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors)
A Bad Day for Sandy Dayton	Designed to help non-science majors understand forces, motion, and mechanical energy while reconstructing a rear-end auto accident that occurs outside their classroom building.	Duch, Barbara	Physics and Astronomy	6+ Hours	Introductory (non-majors)
A Case for Classics	The problem evokes an exploration of texts, which requires students to explore and discuss the texts within a collaborative framework in an effort to uncover how they are a product of setting and society at a certain point in history yet represent elements which make them valuable in contemporary times.	Kumar, Rita	English	6+ Hours	Intermediate (non-majors)
A Day in the Life of a World-Wide Intern	There is a major crisis in the Force, and your students have now been called into active duty to serve as interns in the World-Wide Legislation.	Vadino, Nicole	Sociology	3-6 hours	Introductory
A Day in the Life of John Henry, Traffic Cop	This problem introduces students to conservation of momentum while working through a two-dimensional automobile accident.	Duch, Barbara	Physics and Astronomy	6+ Hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
A Letter from Dalton	In this problem students must analyze mass data to test a hypothesis proposed by Dalton as a consequence of his postulates concerning the atomic nature of matter.	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1 Hour or Less	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
A Missed Diagnosis	Students are asked to explain why the family physician made an incorrect initial diagnosis, as well as present a theory regarding a correct diagnosis.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1 Hour or Less	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
A Pain in the Belly	This problem aids students in the development of their three-dimensional understanding of abdominal anatomy, with particular emphasis paid to the peritoneum and G.I. vascular supply.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1 Hour or Less	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Alleviating the AIDS Crisis in South Africa	This problem examines some of the implications of the AIDS epidemic in South Africa and the possible approaches to alleviating it.	Bauer, Gretchen	Political Science	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Are You Sure I’ve Seen You Before?	Students are asked to correctly diagnose the patient and answer several related questions about the patient.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Advanced (majors)
Hosting an Exchange Student	Students will imagine that an exchange student from a Spanish-speaking country is coming to stay with the studentâ€™s family for a few weeks as part of a cultural exchange program.	Fees, Joseph	Foreign Languages	3-6 hours	Any
An Experiment in Using Plants to Get the Lead out	Phytoremediation is a technology for removing soil and groundwater contamination using plants. In this two-part problem students are given a brief case study to read about how phytoremediation had been successfully used to remove lead from soil at a former manufacturing site.	Homan, Michelle	Environmental Science, Research Design	3-6 hours	Intermediate (majors)
DNA for Dinner	The use of bioengineered food in quick service restaurants is controversial.	Lieux, Elizabeth	Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Faculty Development, Multidisciplinary, Nutrition	3-6 hours	Introductory (variety of audiences)
“How Will I Know if My Students Learned What They’re Supposed to?” – Curriculum Evaluation in the NCLB Era	In this problem designed for teacher education majors, students evaluate science curricula…	Ford, Danielle	Education	6+ Hours	Intermediate (majors)
An Electric Idea	In this problem, students learn to describe the processes occurring in a classic metal displacement type redox reaction, differentiate between spontaneous and nonspontaneous redox processes, differentiate between voltaic and electrolytic cells, and predict voltages for electrochemical cells.	Lawrie, Ruth	Chemistry and Biochemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory (high school or college)
An Unwanted Souvenir	Students are asked to develop a hypothesis as to a diagnosis of Ralph’s condition as well as answer anatomically-related and microbiology-related questions.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1 Hour or Less	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Athletics Problem	Students are asked to look at demographic data, height, and weight to determine if any relationship exists between the event athletes do and their demographic data.	Chamberlin, Scott	Statistics	1-3 Hours	Introductory (middle grade, gifted students)
Blankley Corporation: Pension Accounting	Having worked through the nine phases of the Blankley Corporation unfolding problem, students will be able to understand and perform the technical aspects of accounting for defined benefit plans. As the problem unfolds, the intricacy of the technical aspects of pension accounting increases.	Cottell, Philip	Accounting	3-6 hours	Intermediate (majors)
Carbohydrate Mythology	Dylan has always struggled with his weight and has been told by his doctor that he needs to lose weight. A month ago Dylan started a fad diet that includes significantly reducing carbohydrate intake.	Benoit, Lindsay	Nutrition and Dietetics	3-6 hours	Intermediate (majors)
Cebu and Woodard Leases – A PBL Unfolding Problem	Having worked through the eight phases of the Cebu and Woodward unfolding PBL problem, students will be able to understand and perform the technical aspects of accounting for leases.	Cottell, Philip	Accounting	3-6 hours	Intermediate (majors)
Challenges to Sustainability in the Developing World: Private Choices and Social Implications of Cotton Production in India	This problem examines the challenges of achieving sustainable development in a world of unintended consequences with a hypothetical example of cotton production in India.	Duke, Joshua	Environmental Science	1-3 Hours	Introductory (non-majors)
Cholera and the Science of Medicine	Students explore the essential nature of science processes of evidence, explanation, prediction, experimentation, and communication and how they are used by scientists.	Donham, Richard	Science Education	3-6 hours	Introductory (non-majors)
Choosing a Teaching Text: James Joyce’s Ulysses	A major challenge for an instructor involves choosing the best available critical edition of a text for a class. Instructors must consider issues of authorial review, authorial intent, the corruption of editions published in the author’s lifetime, the introduction of editorial errors into the text, the review of manuscript material, and availability and readability of available editions.	McKenna, Bernard	English	6+ Hours	Advanced (majors)
Choosing Books to Support Elementary Girls’ Science Learning	In this problem designed for teacher education majors, students prepare a grant proposal to obtain trade books for elementary science curricula that will support girls’ science learning.	Ford, Danielle	Education	3-6 hours	Intermediate (majors)
Cognitive Neuroscience Case Creation	This “build a case” problem provides students with the opportunity to create their own case study from the ground up.	Miller, Antoinette	Psychology	6+ Hours	Advanced (majors)
Collaborating to Determine and Meet Student Needs	Teacher candidates work in small groups for these assignments. Each group is assigned an initial student scenario.	Hoyle, Carol	Education	6+ Hours	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Crossed Circuits	Two roommates argue about each others use of energy. Which roommate should pay a utility premium? How much extra?	Watson, George	Physics and Astronomy	1 Hour or Less	Introductory (non-majors)
Daddy, Help! I Can’t Get out of the Pool!	Tammy, a 10 year-old girl, is normally active for her age, participating in her local soccer club (playing goalie) and swimming breaststroke on her country club’s swim team. Lately she has been experiencing pain in her left knee.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1 Hour or Less	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Dawn Treader Industries: Long-Term Construction Contracts	Having worked through the seven stages of the Dawn Treader Industries unfolding problem, students will be able to understand and perform the technical aspects of accounting for long-term construction contracts.	Cottell, Philip	Accounting	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors)
Dawn’s Eight O’clock	Absenteeism and tardiness can disrupt group function in PBL groups.	Harold White	Problem-based Learning	1 Hour or Less	Introductory (workshop participants)
Deflating Grady	Grade inflation poses a problem on many campuses and is an issue familiar to faculty regardless of their discipline.	White, Harold	Faculty Development	3-6 hours	Introductory (workshop participants)
Doc, is it my heart?	A 52-year-old black man presents to the emergency room with chest pains. The patient is agitated and apprehensive. He has a family history of heart disease and hypertension.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (non-majors)
Does Anyone Know What’s Wrong with Me?	Molly is a nineteen-year-old, multiple-time All-American pole-vaulter on her college’s track team. During the summer, Molly trains for her event by pole vaulting twice a week and running three miles every other night.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1 Hour or Less	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Emotion and Memory: Bright Lights through Thick Fog	Students in introductory psychology courses must gain experience with the professional literature and the methods of psychological research.	Benander, Ruth	Psychology	3-6 hours	Introductory (non-majors)
Examining & Practicing Genre & Rhetoric: Problem One–Joining the Global Union	This first problem of three sets up simulations of real-world scenarios and then asks students to think and write about them.	Skutar, Claudia	Composition and Rhetoric	6+ Hours	Intermediate (non-majors)
Examining & Practicing Genre & Rhetoric: Problem Three–Global Economic Conference	This is the third problem in a set of three. The first, by Claudia Skutar, involves students in developing a founding document.	Refaei, Brenda	Composition and Rhetoric	6+ Hours	Intermediate (non-majors)
Examining & Practicing Genre & Rhetoric: Problem Two–National Citizens Forum	This is the second problem in a set of three that sets up simulations of real-world scenarios and then asks students to think and write about them.	Kumar, Rita	Composition and Rhetoric	6+ Hours	Intermediate (non-majors)
Externalities and Managing a Common Property Resource	One difficulty in controlling pollution is that individuals and firms acting in their own best interest may produce aggregate behavior that is suboptimal for society.	Duke, Joshua	Food and Resource Economics	1 Hour or Less	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Failed Scones	A request for help comes from a mother trying to solve her daughter’s baking dilemmaâ€”flopped scones.	Gross, Sandra	Nutrition and Dietetics	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
Female Circumcision: The Flight of Kasinga	Female circumcision, or female genital mutilation, affects thousands of young girls and women in more than 30 countries worldwide (but primarily in Africa and portions of the Middle East).	Webber, Karen	Psychology, Women’s Studies	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Fifty Miles for My Fiftieth Birthday	Lincoln is a 50-year old runner who, over the past five years, has completed five one-half marathons and four marathons. He regularly runs six to seven days a week, totaling thirty to fifty miles per week.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors)
Fire Chicken	Choi In Sung, 32-year-old male of Asian descent, presents to his family physician to seek treatment for chest pains. The patient appears frustrated and apprehensive.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Friend, Can You Spare a Kidney for Our Son Levon?	The issue of the shortage of transplantable kidneys is of growing significance and concern worldwide. In this multipart problem-based learning project, students are asked to approach the issue from an economic perspective.	Bieker, Richard	Economics	6+ Hours	Introductory (majors)
Gearding Construction Company: Accounting for Derivatives – Interest Rate Swaps	Students who have completed the six stages of the Gearding Construction Company PBL unfolding problem will have learned how to account for interest rate swaps under both hedge accounting and no-hedge accounting conditions.	Cottell, Philip	Accounting	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors)
Granny’s Hip	You stop over to visit your grandmother for your weekly visit to set out her medications for the coming week. As you enter her apartment, you find her lying on her back in severe pain.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1 Hour or Less	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Green’s Invasive Plant Dilemma	This problem is about a state representative who becomes aware of invasive plants in his own garden. He discovers the names of the plants and how they might have spread into his garden.	Barton, Susan	Plant and Soil Sciences	3-6 hours	Introductory (non-majors)
Guide Map	How do you make a map useful to a blind person? In this problem, students first decide what needs to be included on a map.	Price, Alan Paul	Geography	1-3 Hours	Introductory (non-majors)
Harry Potter and the Walkabout	Most first year students are unfamiliar with all the opportunities and facilities that are available to them on a college campus. This staged-assignment problem is designed make students familiar with some of the academic, cultural, and extracurricular activities and events on their campus.	Ross, Dorry	English	6+ Hours	Introductory (non-majors)
Harvest Time Danger	Tom, a 36-year-old, right hand dominant male farmer, is involved in a farming accident that involves his right upper appendage.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	6+ Hours	Advanced (majors)
Homecoming Surprise	This problem enables students to examine the results of soft-tissue injuries stemming from hyperflexion of the vertebral column as a result of an improper football tackle.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
I Gotta Get These Cross Countries Done!	The purpose of this Problem Based Learning exercise is to deepen the participantsâ€™ understanding of the weather and aeronautical decision-making.	Robinson, Saul	Aviation Science	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Internet-Certified Genius	Internet-based quizzes that purport to provide quick, valid IQ scores are quite popular and most students have either taken one or know someone who has. In this problem, this widespread interest in IQ scores is used to engage students in learning and communicating about the properties of the normal distribution.	Karpiak, Christie	Psychology	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors)
Partnership Formation: Urban Decay	This problem is based upon the California court case: Holmes v. Lerner, 74 Cal.App.4th 442, 88 Cal.Rptr.2d 130 (1 Dist.1999). In that case, Sandra Lerner and Patricia Holmes met and became friends in 1993.	Ninassi, Susanne	Business Administration	1-3 Hours	Introductory (non-majors)
The Carlsons’ Dilemma	This problem provides a setting in which students will be able to learn about capital budgeting concepts in a typical first course in Financial Management.	Narayanaswamy, Canchepuram	Finance	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors)
To Resuscitate or Not to Resuscitate?	Patient rights are a basic value in healthcare. Adult patients of sound mind must be informed of their medical diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options, and the pros and cons of those options.	Polich, Susan	Medical Education	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors)
Vehicle Fatalities in Delaware	This week-long, group-based activity explores policy-relevant information on vehicle fatalities in the state of Delaware. Students are provided external resources and a series of questions that prompt them to review the provided information critically and form an assessment of the problem, its primary causes, and possible solutions to address the problem.	Sarzynski, Andrea	Public Policy	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors)
Protecting/Stealing the Trillion-Dollar Bill	This problem encourages students to investigate sensor integration as part of a mechatronics course in mechanical engineering. The intended sensor is a strain gauge, but other designs will work.	Mynderse, James	Mechanical Engineering	6+ Hours	Advanced (majors)
Simple Staged Problem for Introduction of PBL Process	For faculty development sessions there is often a need for a simple, staged problem that does not require investigation using additional resources.	Watson, George	Faculty Development	1 Hour or Less	Introductory (professors and teachers)
The Brominator	In this problem, students: learn to predict formulas for the products of “metal + nonmetal” reactions using the periodic table as a guide; encounter the idea of limiting reagents through a graphical presentation of data; predict limiting reagents based on stoichiometric conversions; and review the relationship between formula and mass composition.	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory (science majors)
Winter Woes	A series of events on a cold winter’s day are used to introduce various concepts associated with solutions, including driving forces behind solution formation and colligative properties.	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
Will I Ever Be Able to Run Again, Doc?	Bob is a 53-year-old college professor. He is a regular runner, averaging between 25-35 miles per week. During the academic year he runs with one or two fellow professors during the noon hour.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Advanced (majors)
Is My Pitching Career Over?	Tom, a 53-year-old, right hand-dominant male plays on a traveling “exhibition” fast-pitch softball team. He has been a fast-pitch softball player for most of his life, and has made an excellent living since joining the “Arizona Jesters”, a traveling fast-pitch team that plays exhibition games against professional major league baseball teams (during spring practice) and regional championship-quality softball teams around the country.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Advanced (majors)
Why Am I Getting More Clumsy, Doc?	Marshall, a 62-year-old attorney, presented to his family physician with questions as to why he was shuffling a little more when he walked, and occasionally slurring his words, especially at the end of a hard day of work.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Advanced (majors)
Who Owns the Geritol Solution?	The Geritol solution is based on the premise that iron availability limits primary productivity in the high-nutrient, low-productivity zones of certain ocean waters.	Allen, Deborah	Biological Sciences	6+ Hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
Where is That Long-Term Debt Program for Big Moo?	With this long-term debt problem, students will identify the types of evidence that they need and where they can get them (knowledge) to form an opinion about LTD.	Hansen, James	Accounting	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors)
What Is Wrong with My Child, Doc?	Tommy, a robust seven-year-old second grader is brought to the Emergency Room after experiencing a seizure on the playground during morning recess.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Advanced (majors)
What Is the Cause of This Swelling and Why Am I Short of Breath When I Exercise?	Joan is a corporate lawyer for a Fortune-500 company. She has been physically active her entire life. Lately Joan has become increasingly short of breath upon exertion…	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1 Hour or Less	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
What Did You Say, Doc?	John Angleman, a 41-year-old machinist, complains of difficulty hearing in the right ear. In addition, his gait has been unsteady, with occasional missteps with his right leg.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	6+ Hours	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
What a Drag!	Students explore the effects of air resistance on the path of a baseball. Forces acting on a baseball are identified and the resulting set of differential equations for both the horizontal and vertical motion is derived.	Nowak, Edmund	Physics and Astronomy	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors)
Watson Enterprises: Accounting for Marketable Equity Securities	Watson Enterprises is a Problem-Based Learning unfolding problem designed to engage the students with the topic of accounting for a portfolio of equity securities under FASB 115. This problem contains considerably more detail than the typical coverage in an Intermediate Financial Accounting text.	Cottell, Philip	Accounting	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors)
Vance Corporation: Cash Flow Statement	Having completed the four phases of the Vance Corporation PBL unfolding problem, students will be able to prepare a comprehensive cash flow statement using both the direct and indirect methods.	Cottell, Philip	Accounting	3-6 hours	Intermediate (majors)
Uff Da–Why Does This Hurt, Doc?	Lars Johnson is a fledgling actor in L.A. California. He has just recently auditioned for a major part in a new situation comedy that is being proposed for one of the national TV networks. He has received a callback for a second audition, which means he is in serious running for the part, which would be a major ‘career maker’ for Lars.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1 Hour or Less	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Ubbes Company: Earnings Per Share	Having worked through the six phases of the Ubbes Company unfolding PBL problem, students will have learned the complexities of computing and reporting the earnings per share ratio.	Cottell, Philip	Accounting	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors)
Tracy Lynn’s “Yellow Banana”	This problem is based on an actual car accident with the names changed to protect privacy. The streets in the accident scene do not meet at right angles, so this problem is more difficult for students.	Duch, Barbara	Physics and Astronomy	3-6 hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
To Lease or to Buy?	The problem focuses on whether leasing or buying an asset is less expensive. The problem provides a setting in which students will be able to apply concepts such as discounting, NPV, capital budgeting, etc., learned earlier in a typical corporate finance course.	Narayanaswamy, Canchepuram	Finance	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors)
The Woozy Smoker	David, a 76-year-old male with a history of heavy cigarette smoking has developed a progressive gait disorder. He complains of frequent balance loss, staggering and unsteadiness.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1 Hour or Less	Advanced (majors)
The Sweet Spot	A frightening incident of a high school baseball pitcher being struck in the temple by a ball sets the context of this problem. Students use two-dimensional kinematics to estimate reaction times for pitchers, distance ranges, and trajectories of baseballs.	Nowak, Edmund	Physics and Astronomy	3-6 hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
The Road to Rockingham	Elliott is a regional stock car racer that is hoping to make it to the Busch Racing Series and, ultimately, the NASCAR circuit. He is entered in a regional stock car race when he is involved in a high-speed accident.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	6+ Hours	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
The Restless Baby	This problem helps a student develop a three-dimensional understanding of the anatomy of the pleural cavities by investigating the signs and symptoms of an eight-month-old infant with pleurisy.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours
The Good Life	This two- to four-week problem asks students to consider the hypothesis that “money makes people happy.” Students investigate this hypothesis starting with computing the bivariate correlation between income and happiness in the General Social Survey (GSS), using SPSS.	Morling, Beth	Psychology	3-6 hours	Intermediate (majors)
The First Thanksgiving	Using the traditional American Thanksgiving holiday, students explore food laws and standards relating to the purchase of high quality poultry, the storage of poultry to maintain quality, appropriate preparation techniques for poultry, and the effect of heat on poultry.	Manning, Carolyn	Nutrition and Dietetics	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors)
The Fastest Man in the World	This problem introduces students to speed and acceleration.	Duch, Barbara	Physics and Astronomy	3-6 hours	Introductory (non-majors)
The Disgruntled Baseball Fan	This problem provides an engaging introduction to descriptive statistics for students in the social and behavioral sciences, many of whom are required to take a statistics course for their majors and initially question its relevance.	Karpiak, Christie	Psychology	3-6 hours	Introductory (majors)
The Complaining Postal Carrier	This PBL follows a patient through two visits to the outpatient department of a rural hospital. The problem presents symptoms, patient history, physical examination results, and certain test results that aid the student in the navigation of the problem.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours
The Complaining Husband	George, a 46-year-old presents to his family physician complaining of increased clumsiness.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Advanced (majors)
Terror in the Toilet Bowl	Part 1 of the problem provides students with an opportunity (1) to learn how to derive the rate law of a mechanism from initial rate and concentration data, and (2) to learn what sort of information might be obtained from plotting concentration vs. time data from a kinetic experiment.	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
Teetering on the Brink of Extinction? (Or Is It Too Late?)	The Florida panther is an endangered subspecies of puma (Felis concolor coryi). Within the context of problems posed by the management of the panther, the students are introduced to molecular genetics…	Donham, Richard	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Introductory (non-majors)
Teaching Exceptional Adolescents	Students who have special education needs spend much of their instructional time in general education classrooms. General education teachers at the secondary level must be prepared to teach academically diverse classes.	Eisenman, Laura	Education	6+ Hours	Introductory (majors)
Taste Sensations	Students become part of a business that prepares and sells flavored vinegars, infused oils, flavored pestos, and other natural and healthful food items. They are asked to add one flavored vinegar and one infused oil to their product line.	Gross, Sandra	Nutrition and Dietetics	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
Student Affairs Identity Crisis	The course is designed for doctoral level students in the Educational Leadership program.	Tweedy, James	Education	3-6 hours	Advanced (majors)
Street Fight	Rick, a high school student, is involved in a fight in which he and two other classmates “jump” a fourth classmate (John) because they don’t like the way he looks and acts.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Stormy Weather	Where will it rain? Where will it clear up? And what will the weather be like where you are? Students will not only answer these questions…	Price, Alan Paul	Geography	1-3 Hours	Introductory (non-majors)
Spring Break: A Lesson in Circuits	This case, taught in a problem-based learning format, introduces students to the topics of electricity and circuits within the context of house wiring.	Duch, Barbara	Physics and Astronomy	6+ Hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
Something Is Horribly Wrong, Doc, and I Am Embarrassed to Talk About It	Brian is a 27-year-old-male graduate student that was injured in a rugby game approximately ten days ago. He has a bruise on his lower back that is starting to go away.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
Solving Economic Underdevelopment in the Third World	You have been elected to office because you promised to solve once and for all the problem of underdevelopment in your country. Now is time to show the plan. Congress is waiting anxiously.	Carrion, Julio	Political Science	6+ Hours	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Share and Share Alike	This problem addresses the use of the Colorado River by various stakeholders competing for a limited amount of water. As power generation through nuclear energy is being reconsidered, one of the major issues is the amount of water needed by these power plants at the expense of other demands on the same resource.	Groh, Susan	Faculty Development	3-6 hours	Introductory
Saving for a Rainy Day	A request for help comes in from a scientifically-illiterate relative trying to choose a system for passive solar energy storage.	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1 Hour or Less	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
Roots: Exploring our Distant Ancestry	While most students take a position for or against evolution, few actually understand the concept of natural selection or appreciate the idea of descent with modification.	White, Harold	Biological Sciences	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors)
Riverside’s Dilemma	A town council is faced with some decisions to make centering on allowable pH limits for anticipated waste streams going into a river.	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
Rice-a-Roni: A San Franciso Treat	Students design the electric wiring portion of a home remodeling project.	Watson, George	Physics and Astronomy	1-3 Hours	Introductory (non-majors)
Responding to Economic Crisis in Africa	This problem deals with the economic crisis currently plaguing many countries in Africa.	Bauer, Gretchen	Political Science	6+ Hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
Please Don’t Tell My Parents	A seventeen-year-old female presents to her local hospital’s E.R. at 7:45 in the morning on a school day. She appears apprehensive and uncomfortable.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Pass the Buffer-in	A student needing to prepare a pH 7.5 buffer must decide whether an unlabeled recipe will do the job.	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
Painting the Blues	The synthesis and composition of several blue pigments provide a context for exploring key ideas in stoichiometric calculations.	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1 Hour or Less	Introductory (majors and non-majors)
Out of Control	The population of Lesser Snow Geese is growing exponentially in the US and Canada.	Dion, Linda	Biological Sciences	1 Hour or Less	Introductory (majors)
Organic Mystery	In this problem, students learn to identify functional groups in organic molecules…	Lawrie, Ruth	Chemistry and Biochemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory (majors)
Ohio Energy Company: Accounting for Joint Ventures	Having worked through the Ohio Energy Company unfolding problem, students will understand the equity method at a level well beyond that presented in intermediate accounting textbooks.	Cottell, Philip	Accounting	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors)
National Film Preservation Problem	One problem students face when it comes to the moving image film or television is the tendency to see those images as pure entertainment and therefore beyond analysis.	Johnson, Bryan	English	3-6 hours	Advanced (majors)
My Aching Back	Frank, a 39-year-old college professor, was putting dishes into his dishwasher at the end of the day when he felt a sharp pain in his lower back. In addition, he appeared to feel a sensation that could best be described “as a click”.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Mixing Carefully: “Scientific” Jello Preparation	Introductory, non-major laboratory courses are perfectly suited to a PBL approach. In these courses, the main objective is to involve students with diverse interests in exploring the scientific method in a ‘practical’ laboratory setting.	Fornari, Marco	Physics and Astronomy	6+ Hours	Introductory (non-majors)
Kids, Chemicals, and Cancer	The problem scenario: A child in Toms River, NJ develops leukemia. Citizens in the town begin to notice what seems to be a high incidence of childhood cancers.	Allen, Deborah	Environmental Science	3-6 hours	Introductory (non-majors)
Job, Jobs, Jobs and Tax Cuts	From late 2000 to May 2003m the US economy lost almost three million jobs. The unemployment rate that May was six percent, or 8.8 million unemployed workers, and was an eight year high.	Long, Terry	Economics	1-3 Hours	Introductory (non-majors)
Jenna’s Wish for Breast Implants	15-year old Jenna believes that breast implants are the secret to a successful future. She has asked, and her parents have agreed, to pay for implants as a gift for her 16th birthday.	Webber, Karen	Psychology, Women’s Studies	1-3 Hours	Intermediate (majors)
It Must Be a Bad Year for My Allergies	It is an idyllic March day on the Midwestern university campus as Dr. Bob Johnston walks to his 8:00 philosophy lecture section. As he is walking across campus he notices that his typical spring cough, headache, hoarseness and nasal stuffiness are more noticeable than they have been for the past 7 to 10 days.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	1 Hour or Less	Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Is This Normal for Someone My Age?	Eleanor, an 88-year-old widow and mother of two, visits RediMed late on a Sunday afternoon.	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Intermediate (majors)