Problem Library | Institute for Transforming University Education

Problem Library: 27

Title	Excerpt	Author	Discipline	Length	Level	Type
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 . . .	Vadino, Nicole	Sociology	3-6 hours	Introductory	Problem
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 . . .	Duch, Barbara	Physics and Astronomy	6+ Hours	Introductory	Problem
A Letter from Dalton	In this problem students must analyze mass data to test a hypothesis proposed by Dalton as a consequence of his . . .	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1 Hour or Less	Introductory	Problem
DNA for Dinner	The use of bioengineered food in quick service restaurants is controversial. Some stakeholders believe genetic . . .	Lieux, Elizabeth	Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Faculty Development, Multidisciplinary, Nutrition	3-6 hours	Introductory	Problem
An Electric Idea	In this problem, students learn to describe the processes occurring in a classic metal displacement type redox reaction, . . .	Lawrie, Ruth	Chemistry and Biochemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory	Problem
Athletics Problem	The Athletics Problem is one that asks students to engage in computing a correlation while simultaneously looking at . . .	Chamberlin, Scott	Statistics	1-3 Hours	Introductory	Problem
Dawn’s Eight O’clock	Absenteeism and tardiness can disrupt group function in PBL groups. This short text case with accompanying video . . .	Harold White	Problem-based Learning	1 Hour or Less	Introductory	Problem
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	Problem
Failed Scones	A request for help comes from a mother trying to solve her daughter’s baking dilemma – flopped scones. In providing this . . .	Gross, Sandra	Nutrition and Dietetics	1-3 Hours	Introductory	Problem
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 . . .	Watson, George	Faculty Development	1 Hour or Less	Introductory	Problem
The Brominator	In this problem, students: learn to predict formulas for the products of “metal + nonmetal” reactions using the periodic . . .	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory	Problem
Winter Woes	A series of events on a cold winter’s day are used to introduce various concepts associated with solutions, including . . .	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory	Problem
Who Owns the Geritol Solution?	The Geritol solution is based on the premise that iron availability limits primary productivity in the high-nutrient, . . .	Allen, Deborah	Biological Sciences	6+ Hours	Introductory	Problem
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 . . .	Duch, Barbara	Physics and Astronomy	3-6 hours	Introductory	Problem
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 . . .	Nowak, Edmund	Physics and Astronomy	3-6 hours	Introductory	Problem
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 . . .	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory	Problem
Taste Sensations	Students become part of a business that prepares and sells flavored vinegars, infused oils, flavored pestos, and other . . .	Gross, Sandra	Nutrition and Dietetics	1-3 Hours	Introductory	Problem
Spring Break: A Lesson in Circuits	This case, taught in a problem-based learning format, introduces students to the topics of electricity and circuits . . .	Duch, Barbara	Physics and Astronomy	6+ Hours	Introductory	Problem
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 . . .	Tallitsch, Robert	Biological Sciences	3-6 hours	Introductory	Problem
Share and Share Alike	This problem addresses the use of the Colorado River by various stakeholders competing for a limited amount of water. As . . .	Groh, Susan	Faculty Development	3-6 hours	Introductory	Problem
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 . . .	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1 Hour or Less	Introductory	Problem
Riverside’s Dilemma	A town council is faced with some decisions to make centering on allowable pH limits for anticipated waste streams going . . .	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory	Problem
Responding to Economic Crisis in Africa	This problem deals with the economic crisis currently plaguing many countries in Africa. Students explore the challenges . . .	Bauer, Gretchen	Political Science	6+ Hours	Introductory	Problem
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	Problem
Painting the Blues	The synthesis and composition of several blue pigments provide a context for exploring key ideas in stoichiometric . . .	Groh, Susan	Chemistry	1 Hour or Less	Introductory	Problem
Cookie Chemistry!	The PBL (Problem Based Learning) Cookie Chemistry activity was designed for the first two class periods of General . . .	Amy Greene	Chemistry and Biochemistry	1-3 Hours	Introductory	Problem
Will I Drive Again? Improving Accessibility after Stroke	Rebecca Smith suffered an ischemic stroke that resulted in weakness and decreased sensation of the right upper . . .	Brittany Heintz Walters, PhD	Kinesiology	3-6 hours	Introductory	Problem