The idea of problem solving seems to be foreign to many students, who are prone to assume that memorization of facts will suffice. This expectation has been propagated throughout their education, making it difficult to reverse late in their college career. In my mind it is a problem that educators must face, even in elementary school.
Information is widely available with the internet and mass media.
There are simply endless facts to learn. Thus it is critical that we teach student to problem solve. This is a skill that will stay with them long after their coursework is over. Given good thinking skills students can learn to reconstruct important concepts for themselves when needed, long after facts have been forgotten. My strategy to improve problem solving skills in the course I teach has been to minimize facts and encourage thinking.