Why is CBL significant?
- In a practical sense, CBL activities offer many of the benefits of project-based learning, as they engage learners in real-world problems and make them responsible for developing solutions.
- Additionally, learners have the satisfaction that comes from figuring out both the issue to be tackled and the solution they develop.
- Because the CBL projects are generally community based, individual learners might reap the rewards of social and educational/professional interaction, while their institutions might benefit from enhanced community-school/campus relations.
As participants determine where a problem lies, how a solution might be effected, and how technology can be leveraged to accomplish a workable result, they learn the value of critical thinking and reflection.
The payoff in learner engagement and satisfaction can be high.
In Apple’s 2008 study of CBL, findings showed learner engagement among participating ninth and tenth graders was rated at 97% or higher and that learner involvement peaked where they perceived the solutions they worked on to be of real value.