An Observation Study on the Experience of University Students in Project Learning

Abstract

Social expectations for the development of sustainable core competencies of learners require innovative changes in teaching and learning methods in university education. Project learning enables proactive and cooperative learning so that meaningful learning can take place in preparation for real situations in which learners face unpredictable situations and those involving complex problems. This study focuses on these team project classes, analyzes the contextual behavioral aspects of actual learners during the learning process of team project classes conducted in universities, and examines their characteristics. As a result, the study confirmed that the process of discussion among students to define the purpose of the project activity is a learning process in itself. It is also serves as an extension of their perspective that goes beyond the scope of their experience through their interactions, rather than the application or utilization of learned knowledge. In addition, unlike the general expectation that cooperative interaction will be based on consensus, agreement, and active communication, the cooperative process of students discussing the subject and direction of the project outcome is conducted through tacit recognition of individual differences and agreement on these differences. Moreover, through actual experience, students reflected on the need to focus on the meaning that was missing due to common sense and conventional wisdom, and which goes beyond the logic of identity confined within the range of ordinary experience that was the basis of prediction. Through this, they were able to make progress in redefining the problem. Finally, the study confirmed that the instructor's feedback, which was implemented during the actual project activity process, can function as a tool and and as leverage in the process of the students' problem-solving abilities by supporting the problem-solving that occurred in real situations, unlike in general knowledge. It is expected that the results of this study will contribute to the vitalization of team project learning as basic research material to determine what kind of experiences are possible for actual learners in the team project learning process.