Reimagining education for sustainability: insights from Indonesia’s largest project-based learning program

Background: While improved student engagement has been highlighted as an essential goal and a major outcome of Problem and Project-Based learning (PBL), little empirical evidence has been provided regarding types and forms of student engagement. Material and method: The study explored forms of student engagement in PBL settings, drawing on empirical data of observations and group interviews with 23 project teams (116 students) in four different PBL undergraduate civil engineering courses at Qatar University. Results: The study identified four patterns of student engagement in a PBL setting. Participants reported significant indicators of the first two patterns - engagement as autonomy and as connection. Regarding the other two indicators, namely relational and emotional engagement, they reported positive yet slightly fewer indicators. Three factors were identified that influenced student engagement in a project teams, namely PBL types and its appropriateness to the nature of the course, students’ prior experiences with PBL, and team dynamics. Conclusions: These results facilitate the establishment of an institutional framework supporting a progressive approach to embracing PBL. In this framework PBL implementation begins with diverse practices at the course level and has systemic change as its ultimate goal. This framework particularly aims to support an institutionalized approach to transition to PBL in a socio-cultural context (e.g., a non-western context) where instructors are as the primary and authoritative source of knowledge. The overall outcome of the study supports management of change from a lecture-based mode to PBL in a non-western context.

PurposeThis research aims to investigate the role of project-based-learning within graduate sustainability curricula through the lens of key competence development. Project-based learning has become a widely recommended pedagogy for sustainability education. It is hypothesized that through collaboration, student autonomy and real-world application, students develop key competencies for sustainability. This paper also aims to examine the connection between project-based learning and competence development on a program level from the student perspective.Design/methodology/approachThis two-year comparative case study follows the project-based-learning journeys of nine graduate sustainability students from three programs: the Master’s of Sustainability at Arizona State University, the Master’s of Sustainability Science at Leuphana University of Lüneburg and the Global Sustainability Science Master’s, an ASU and Leuphana collaboration. Over four semesters, the students each took part in four competence-oriented self-assessments and interviews to map their perceived learning throughout their programs. Additional contextual information was gathered from program and course materials and descriptions, instructor interviews and in vivo observations.FindingsThe defining aspects of project-based learning including collaboration, student autonomy and real-world connection do contribute to students’ self-perceived competence development. Student-driven and program-driven project-based learning experiences equally foster this result, as long as the pedagogical challenges of balancing support and student independence associated with each are mitigated through instructor actions, program design or individual student coping skills.Originality/valueThe results of this research can support higher education institutions in designing sustainability programs aimed at competence development through project-based learning. The focus on the curricular and program level combined with repeated overtime student-reported attribution to specific courses and activities bridges the gap between individual course case studies and theoretical recommendations for curriculum design. In addition to length and depth, this study also forefronts student experience of curricula as delivered.

Exploring the effects of cognitive style diversity and self-efficacy beliefs on final design attributes in student design teams

Higher education plays a crucial role in supporting a society based on sustainable development through the facilitation of students’ acquisition of competencies for sustainable development. A suitable arena in which to integrate these competencies can be courses built on project-based learning, though knowing how to support the students’ learning can be difficult and a continued challenge. In this work, we study first and second year bachelor level PBL courses and examine the effect of choosing a project theme related to sustainability. Specifically, we look at the students’ own assessment of integration of sustainability aspects in their projects, and their development of the normative competency, critical thinking competency, and self-awareness competency fromUNESCO’s key competencies for sustainability, as a function of project theme. Through a survey, where students were asked to assess themselves and their own projects on a seven-point Likert scale, we found that while having sustainability-related project themes does have some effect, the effect is limited compared to the development of other competencies in the course. Along with how the project theme affects the development of the investigated competencies, the need for targeted support in order to facilitate the students’ development of sustainability related competencies is discussed.

Purpose Although it is clear that there are many benefits of academic–industry partnership through project-based learning (PBL) courses offered by universities, however, there are challenges in establishing such partnerships that if not addressed, may result in either failure of such collaboration or an unpleasant experience for parties involved. Accordingly, this study aims to address this knowledge gap in the PBL literature by identifying the essence of partnership management and offering insights to managing such partnerships effectively. Design/methodology/approach This study aims to develop a framework that highlights the essence of partnership management in a PBL setting and validate the framework by conducting a focus group study on a university in Singapore (UNIS)’s PBL programmes called UNIS-X and UNIS-XO. Findings The results suggest that the key features of partnership management include a value proposition, depth of collaboration, knowledge creation and exchange and continuous feedback. In addition, the findings offer useful insights to managing effective partnerships when engaging industry partners in a PBL programme. Originality/value For researchers, this paper contributes to the PBL literature by identifying and validating the key features of effective partnerships in PBL. This serves as one of the first exploratory and validation studies in examining key features of partnership in the PBL literature. For educators, this study offers useful insights to understanding effective partnership management when engaging industry partners in a PBL course. With the knowledge, educators can devise useful actions to ensure these features of a partnership are established and maintained throughout the project.

<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Contribution:</i> This study explores the elements engineering students perceive as important for developing their learner agency in the context of intercultural project-based learning (PBL) teams. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Background:</i> The concept of learner agency has recently gained prominence due to its relevance for student-centeredness, autonomy, self-regulation, and collaboration. Certain pedagogical approaches are known to specifically support the development of learner agency, including PBL, in which learners are provided with active, self-directed, and collaborative learning tasks. PBL practice is also increasingly diverse, emphasizing intercultural collaboration in teams. However, learner agency has received little research attention in PBL settings, and even less in intercultural PBL. This study contributes to the existing literature on the development of learner agency in intercultural PBL teams. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Research Question:</i> What elements do engineering students consider important for supporting their learner agency development in an intercultural PBL team context? <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Methodology:</i> Theoretically, learner agency is framed within three interrelated dimensions, namely, intrapersonal, behavioral, and environmental. Based on this framework, a survey instrument with 31 items was constructed and responses were obtained from 310 engineering students. The survey used expert review, student piloting, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and Cronbach’s alpha to test content validity, construct validity, and reliability. The descriptive and demographic statistics were examined through <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$t$</tex-math> </inline-formula> -test and the analysis of variance test. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Findings:</i> Five factors emerged from EFA: 1) interest and motivation; 2) self-efficacy; 3) self-regulated behaviors in teams; 4) team dynamics; and 5) external support. The statistical analysis shows that the interest and motivation factor was perceived by the engineering students as the most important. Furthermore, several demographic variables, including gender, nationality, year of study, and type of PBL learner based on their level of experience with PBL, were found to impact engineering students’ agency development.

Relationships between metacognition, creativity, and critical thinking in self-reported teaching performances in project-based learning settings

BackgroundFew studies have reported how students enact learner agency in a team setting or examined what elements of team settings students perceive as more supportive of their learning in problem‐ and project‐based learning (PBL) processes.PurposeThis study explores how engineering students perceive their enactment of learner agency, particularly which aspects of the PBL process they find most important.MethodThirty‐nine students from two PBL civil engineering courses in Qatar participated in the study. Q methodology was chosen for both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. A 40‐item Q set based on a theoretical model of learner agency was used.ResultsEight significantly different student viewpoints emerged from the Q methodological factor analysis, indicating a range of individual perceptions of learner agency. Intrapersonal dimensions were highlighted by three of the eight viewpoints, behavioral dimensions were underlined by seven viewpoints, and environmental dimensions were valued by all viewpoints.ConclusionWhile the results reveal a wide range of individual experiences with learner agency across the three dimensions, students addressed self‐directed learning aspects both actively and passively, suggesting that many participants still value instructors' roles of providing direct instruction and authorized knowledge in PBL. The results highlight the need for more awareness of learner agency and more opportunities for students to enact learner agency by increasing PBL knowledge, skills, and efficacy. Q methodology can contribute to engineering education research by providing new theoretical and empirical insights into learners' subjective understanding of agency in a PBL setting as a complex system.

PurposeOne of the main obstacles facing project-based learning (PBL) adoption relates to a lack of understanding by teachers and students in the roles they are required to play in the learning process. This study aims to address this obstacle, so as to better promote regular adoption of PBL pedagogy in educational institutions.Design/methodology/approachThe strategy was to undertake an in-depth case study of PBL courses taught in UNI-X’s undergraduate curriculum. The case study approach is particularly appropriate for this exploratory study because it allows to capture the organizational dynamics of the phenomenon better and also its ability to explain the phenomenon based on interpretation of data.FindingsThis paper presents an empirical study on the role perspective of PBL in a collaborative project environment. By drawing upon a case study of UNI-X, the authors argue that a teacher plays the roles of a designer, champion, facilitator and manager in a PBL course. To ensure that learning is effective, students should play the roles of a self-directed learner and a warrior when completing their projects. It is clear that role ambiguity and role conflict could occur in PBL courses and might even impact the effectiveness of student learning.Originality/valueFor researchers, this paper contributes to the PBL literature by introducing a role perspective of PBL. This study identifies a list of roles a teacher and a student could potentially play in a PBL setting. Such understanding could serve as a reminder for a teacher and a student for the roles they need to play in achieving learning outcomes of a PBL course.

The enhancement of students’ sustainability competencies remains a critical challenge in higher education. While project-based learning approaches have been effective in improving students’ problem-solving and collaboration abilities, their capacity to address complex environmental and sustainability issues is still limited. To overcome these limitations, this study developed and validated a Project-Based Environmental Education (PjBEE) model that integrates project-based learning with sustainability-oriented education. Employing a Research and Development (R&amp;D), this study aimed to determine the model’s validity, practicality, and effectiveness in enhancing students’ sustainability competencies. The PjBEE model was implemented in environmental education courses and structured around six stages: Inquiring, Collaborating, Decision Making, Digital Action Planning, Creating Artifacts, and Action. Research instruments included expert validation sheets, observation sheets, student response questionnaires, and sustainability competency tests. The validation results confirmed that the PjBEE model met the criteria of high validity, feasibility, and practicality. Implementation findings demonstrated positive student engagement and significant improvement in sustainability competencies particularly in systems thinking, collaboration, strategic planning, and problem-solving. Therefore, the PjBEE model can serve as a pedagogically sound and empirically supported framework for integrating sustainability education into higher education curricula, particularly in biology teacher education programs.

In this Research Full Paper we look at IT students’ experiences from collaborative project-based courses at two Norwegian universities through the lens of Curtin graduate attributes. Many universities use lists of graduate attributes, sometimes referred to as competencies, generic skills, or capabilities that graduates should acquire during their studies. For the time being, these two Norwegian higher education institutions have not implemented graduate attributes into their curricula, though there are several ongoing initiatives that promote students’ employability and development of professional competencies. Through interviews, observations, and thematic analysis with overtones of grounded theory, we aim to identify Norwegian IT students’ perceptions of professional competencies acquired at project-based learning courses. The findings are analysed through the use of the identity and employability frameworks, taking into consideration the cultural context. This paper answers two research questions: 1) What professional competencies do students acquire in project-based learning settings? 2) How do project-based learning courses support the development of employability and identity? We have identified that putting more emphasis on graduate attributes can help to legitimise diverse ways of participation in the computing discipline and at the same time broaden its identity.

This study explores the impact of project-based learning (PBL) on enhancing core competencies in educational psychology courses, specifically learning motivation, critical thinking, and collaborative problem-solving skills among undergraduate students. The research sample comprised 42 undergraduate students enrolled in an educational psychology course. A project-based learning management plan was implemented, with assessments conducted using the Working Preference Inventory, the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, and the Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills Scale. The results indicate that PBL significantly enhances students&amp;rsquo; competitive awareness (t = 3.58, p &amp;lt; .01) and thirst for knowledge (t = 5.93, p &amp;lt; .001). Moreover, PBL fosters the systematic nature of students&amp;rsquo; cognition (t = 2.98, p &amp;lt; .05) and promotes cognitive maturity (t = 44.08, p &amp;lt; .001). It also strengthens students&amp;rsquo; ability to plan and execute problem-solving tasks (t = 4.00, p &amp;lt; .01). However, group collaboration in PBL settings may reduce individual initiative. These findings underscore the effectiveness of PBL in developing students&amp;rsquo; core competencies, particularly within educational psychology. On one hand, this study highlights the role of PBL in enhancing students&amp;rsquo; comprehensive abilities and promoting deep learning in undergraduate education. On the other hand, it suggests that the design and implementation of PBL should balance the dual needs of individual and team-based learning.

Project-Based Learning (PjBL) is a learning approach where students learn by actively participating in real projects or tasks. This approach aims to prepare learners to face real-world situations and develop skills relevant to careers and everyday life. The (PjBL) approach was used in the creation of this motion graphics titled "Affordable" with the client LB LIA. The PjBL process involved planning, client needs analysis, conceptualization, production and evaluation. The results show that PjBL helps learners develop a deep understanding of graphic design and effective communication skills with clients. PjBL helped learners develop a deep understanding of graphic design and effective communication skills with clients. Although time management and communication challenges arose, collaboration between students and clients successfully overcame these obstacles so that this motion graphics project could run smoothly. With a focus on project-oriented learning, this article can serve as a guide for those interested in maximizing students' educational experience in the real world.

Workplace diversity has recently gained increasing significance and urgency in business organizations. This promotion may stem from information processing, and specifically from information elaboration. Information elaboration leverages diverse task-related information and skills possessed by members, fostering the exchange of diverse perspectives, elaborate discussions, and achieving high team performance. In this context, cognitive diversity, encompassing members’ knowledge, skills, and perspectives, may have a positive impact. However, some previous studies suggest that cognitive diversity can lead to affective conflict and impede information processing. In organizations with highly homogeneous social and cultural backgrounds, cognitive diversity may not be effectively utilized in the information elaboration process, potentially yielding negative effects. Authentic leadership is recognized as a significant contributor to facilitating team processes including information processing, with various studies demonstrating its effectiveness. This study hypothesized that cognitive diversity negatively affects the information elaboration process, while authentic leadership has a positive effect. To test these hypotheses, we employed multilevel structural equation modeling analysis based on data collected from 375 respondents in 90 teams across various industries in Japan. The results showed that cognitive diversity negatively affects information elaboration at the individual level. By contrast, authentic leadership positively affects information elaboration at both individual and team levels. These findings suggest that the effect of cognitive diversity on information processing in the workplace may not always be positive, particularly in a sociocultural context that values homogeneity, as observed in Japanese organizations. This study advances the literature on authentic leadership by validating its effect on information elaboration and provides practical implications for diversity management. Additionally, it underscores the effectiveness of authentic leadership in leveraging team members’ cognitive diversity to facilitate information elaboration.

&lt;em&gt;A learning model is an approach to change learners' behavior adaptively or generatively, which is strongly related to learners' learning styles and teachers' teaching styles. One prominent learning model is Project-Based Learning (project based learning), where students actively participate in real projects to solve real-world problems independently. This research focuses on the implementation of project based learning in Islamic Religious Education (PAI), which aims to develop learners' religious values and character. This research uses a phenomenological approach to describe the situation in the field and understand individual experiences in the context of everyday life. Through direct data collection in the field, this study reveals how project based learning in Islamic Education affects the development of students' social skills, creativity, and concept understanding. The results show that project based learning not only improves students' academic understanding, but also builds inclusive character and effective communication skills in group collaboration. In conclusion, project based learning in Islamic Religious Education makes a positive contribution to education by combining religious values with project-based learning. By going in-depth, this study hopes to provide useful insights for future educational development, particularly in the context of relevant and empowering religious teaching.&lt;/em&gt;