Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas en Currículos Tradicionales: Beneficios e Inconvenientes

the paper sets out the objectives, the methodology and the results of a research project related to the effects in the learning process of students produced by the use of a module of problem based learning (pbl). a teaching programme based in the theoretical foundations of pbl and adapted to the particular characteristics of students of the first year in geography and land planning was designed. the recipients of the teaching programme are freshmen students hardly capable of self learning. the results show that the use of the pbl module in the class has produced significant improvements in fundamental aspects of the learning process such as motivation, capacity of information processing and the degree of collaboration among students. the experience has also shown that inconveniences and obstacles the threat the viability of the methodological strategy used do exist.