Moving to Project-Based Learning at the Program Level: an Experience Report

Abstract

This paper reports the students’, instructors’, and employers’ perceptions regarding the move to Project-Based Learning (PBL) at the program level. PBL is a widely known approach that aims to improve motivation and learning by engaging students in investigation with the aim of building a product, solving a problem, or both. Moreover, many studies claim that PBL significantly improves soft skills. This work describes the adaptation of two lower level short-cycle tertiary education programs, in programming and computer engineering, to achieve PBL goals. Qualitative and quantitative studies were carried out in two steps: 1) focus groups with students and instructors and 2) surveys to students that completed an internship and to the respective employers. The intention was to identify the extent to which instructors and students had adopted the new practices and to assess the respective results, as well as to collect employers’ opinions about the students’ skills and abilities after attending the PBL adapted program. The results of this study showed the need to improve the teaching practices to achieve PBL goals, mainly on soft skills acquisition. We propose recommendations based on two dimensions: institution and instructors. We conclude that the adoption of curriculum innovation at the program level implies a huge commitment from all stakeholders, as well the institution as a whole. In addition, we identify the benefits and difficulties of using PBL regarding motivation, group work, leadership, adaptation, communication, and implementation of more realistic projects.