Interdisciplinary Project-based Learning Research Articles

Transforming Learning Orientations Through STEM Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education is challenged by industries to incorporate business, engineering, and communication experiences to prepare students for workplace success. In this study, we outline an approach—the STEM Oriented Alliance for Research (SOAR)—to enhance student experience by offering interdisciplinary project-based learning (IPBL) for undergraduate students majoring in electrical engineering, communications, and marketing. We examined how students’ disciplinary and cooperative orientations toward learning shifted in response to their experiences in a semester-long interdisciplinary project-based learning experience with authentic industry outputs. Using a multi-method approach, we explored how interdisciplinary projects influenced student experiences in terms of five collaboration abilities: positive interdependence, accountability, promotive interaction, group processing, and social skills. Further, we observed a shift from fixed- to more growth-oriented mindsets, and from a primarily disciplinary to interdisciplinary focus for their future professional work. The outcomes of the SOAR project make clear that providing structure for professional cooperation on interdisciplinary projects can have profound effects on how students learn to cooperate and position themselves as learners. For most SOAR participants, the experience was deeply formative and contributed to their readiness to cooperate and learn within the interdisciplinary and STEM-oriented workforce.

Research on interdisciplinary project-based geography fieldwork in education for sustainable development

<p>The ability to solve real-world problems for a sustainable future has become a worldwide consensus, and interdisciplinary competencies and project-based learning (PBL) have become the focus of curriculum reform in China. This study investigates the effectiveness of interdisciplinary PBL fieldwork in geography education for sustainable development, focusing on the perceptions of students from a junior high school in Chongming, Shanghai, of the interdisciplinary effectiveness of PBL fieldwork. Over a one-month pilot program, the results suggest that the new fieldwork approach did not achieve the expected benefits. The significant gains of students can be grouped into four perspectives, namely, understanding of nature and classroom knowledge; problem-solving skills and environmental action; scientific spirit, environmental awareness, and interest in geography; and understanding of local needs and sustainable development issues, which increased their interest in learning. The students generally accepted the ability to collect information and data and the thinking ability of circular development. The influencing factors of activity effectiveness include the time and difficulty of the activity, cognitive and knowledge levels, learning habits of students, student participation, and teaching experience of teachers. The study offers valuable insights for improving fieldwork in other regions and for future research.<strong></strong></p>

Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning of Fine Chemical Technology for Applied Chemistry Majors: Preparation of High Cationic Degree Cotton-Based Adsorbent

Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning of Fine Chemical Technology for Applied Chemistry Majors: Preparation of High Cationic Degree Cotton-Based Adsorbent

Research on the Optimization Method of Project-Based Learning Design for Chinese Teaching Based on Interference-Tolerant Fast Convergence Zeroing Neural Network

The system known as project-based learning, which is applied to specific courses without compromising the coverage of the necessary technical material, uses projects to drive knowledge. The plan and implementation of project-based learning in Chinese teaching as a major project, which embraces undergraduate creativity and places an emphasis on real-world, open-ended projects are discussed in this paper. In this paper, research on optimization method of project-based learning design for Chinese teaching based on optimized interference-tolerant fast convergence zeroing neural network (PBLD-ITFCZNN-BRO). It consists of three stages, import phase, main stage and evaluation stage. In the initial phase, the teacher separated the students to groups before the lecture to make sure that every group poses various traits, with some strong leadership skills and hands-on skills. The second phase of the PBL procedure helped transform what is primarily a passive learning environment (taking notes, listening, and sitting) into a more dynamic, student-centered, and interactive one. Students presented data, articulated their concepts, and then optimized their approaches to problem-solving during the evaluation step. The teachers concluded by summarizing. The performance of the proposed PBLD-ITFCZNN-BRO approach contains 15.26%, 20.42% and 21.27% greater accuracy, and 15.61%, 17.50% and 20.24% greater precision rate, compared with Investigation of Computer Network Technology on New Media Problem-Basis Learning Teaching Mode (CNT-PBLTM), PBL Model Basis application on Deep Learning in Physical Education Classroom Integrating Production with Education (PBL-DL-PEC), Interdisciplinary project-based learning: experiences with reflections from teaching electronic engineering at china (PBL-EEC) techniques, respectively.

Estudio de caso de una experiencia de innovación educativa: el Aprendizaje Basado en Proyectos de modo interdisciplinar en el grado de Educación Primaria

Higher education institutions have to adapt to the rapid technological, cultural, economic and demographic changes that are taking place throughout the world. An example of educational innovation when applied for the first time and being innovative and generating changes is Project Based Learning (PBL), where the students are the protagonists of their teaching-learning process, and the application of this methodology allows them to face every day or real situations. The use of this PBL has turned out to be a novel institutional commitment, due to the organizational management of the teaching staff and the interconnection of different areas of knowledge of the curriculum. The main objective of this research is to analyze an interdisciplinary PBL experience of two academic years carried out in the Primary Education Degree at the University of Deusto (Spain). For this purpose, a qualitative analysis of 27 semi-structured interviews with the participating students was carried out. The results indicate as advantages of PBL the interdisciplinarity, giving solutions to a real case, the significant learning and the development of professional competences for professional performance such as active listening, teamwork, and leadership. However, they have indicated, as well, that they feel lost and unmotivated in the process, mainly due to the lack of teamwork skills, lack of knowledge of how to search for information, teachers’ lack of presence in class and the lack of connection between the subjects of the curriculum. Thus, as improvement strategies, they propose to carry out teamwork dynamics, to improve teacher coordination and to readapt the project (deliveries, workload and evaluation criteria, among others).

Enhancing Employability Skills of Biology Graduates through an Interdisciplinary Project-Based Service Learning Experience with Engineering and Translation Undergraduate Students

We describe an interdisciplinary experience based on the application of the Project-Based Service Learning (PBSL) methodology for six learning outcomes directly related to employability skills. The objective was to assess students’ learning outcomes, the level of satisfaction of students and lecturers with the PBSL, and the advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of this learning methodology. Interdisciplinary teamwork of undergraduate science, engineering, and humanities students was required to design real-world projects to develop their transferable skills, through the process of learning by doing. Students perceived that PBSL favored employability skills such as knowledge acquisition, self-directed learning, problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork skills. Students and lecturers showed high satisfaction with PBSL and outlined its advantages as an active and experiential learning methodology. In conclusion, the implementation of the collaborative and interdisciplinary PBSL methodology is decidedly recommended to enhance Biology, Engineering, and Translation graduates’ learning satisfaction and their future employability.

Design and Implementation of Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning in Junior High School Mathematics

Design and Implementation of Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning in Junior High School Mathematics

Archival Research with High School Students and School History


 
 Archives-based teaching and research remains rare in high schools. Research in this area also remains scarce. This article provides an overview of ways one interdisciplinary project-based learning (PBL) program used school history to introduce historians’ signature pedagogy of archival research to 13- and 14-year-old high school students. It provides an overview of the 9-week interdisciplinary unit from the perspective of the history teacher with the hopes of providing inspiration for others. The article includes consideration of school context, interdisciplinary collaboration, creating an accessible archive for students, and ways history labs were crucial to teaching historical thinking in an authentic way.
 
 

Developing middle school students’ problem-solving ability through interdisciplinary project-based learning

Problem-solving ability is one of the most important skills of Chemical engineers. This case study aims to describe how students develop problem-solving ability in interdisciplinary project-based learning activity. 7 groups of middle school students participate in a one-month “home-made oxygenators” project, designing and producing oxygenators that meet the situational requirements by themselves, and showcase their production. Project task handouts, chat logs, student presentations, student works, contribution surveys, standardized tests, and interest questionnaire are the data sources of this study. The results show that the vast majority of student groups creatively use different principles to produce oxygenators with different functions, in which students clarify and identify problems progressively, create solutions by applying multidisciplinary knowledge, select the best solution through group argumentation, and optimize the solution in practice continuously, so that they develop the problem-solving ability throughout the whole process. Moreover, participants in the activity show more remarkable improvement in their academic performance and interest in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering compared to non-participants.

Experiences and Views on Interdisciplinary Project-based Learning Program for Teachers and Students

This two-year study investigated the impact of professional development interventions for teachers on students’ learning. In the first year, this study focused on designing, implementing, and evaluating the teachers' professional development program of interdisciplinary project-based Learning (T-IPjBLP). In the second year, this study focused on the experimental teaching of the student learning program of interdisciplinary project-based learning (S-IPjBLP) that teachers designed. Further, the author assessed the impact of S-IPjBLP on students’ capacities for critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration (i.e., the 4Cs) and technological application from teachers’ and students’ views. The participants comprised seven teachers who taught natural science and technology subjects at the same junior high school in central Taiwan and their 26 eighth-graders. The results revealed that after attending the T-IPjBLP, the teachers' beliefs changed from a teacher-centered approach to a learner-centered approach, and their knowledge of PjBL improved significantly. After implementing the S-IPjBLP in class, teachers affirmed that PjBL pedagogy was a practical approach for increasing the students’ 4Cs capacities and technological application. The barriers that they encountered included time constraints and mandated curriculum pacing. Regarding student learning, students had positive experiences and feelings toward the S-IPjBLP. Most perceived that S-IPjBLP could improve their capacities for 4Cs and technological applications.

A Study on the Path of Interdisciplinary Project-based Learning in Primary School Chinese

A Study on the Path of Interdisciplinary Project-based Learning in Primary School Chinese

Breaking down the silos: Student experience of transformative learning through interdisciplinary project-based learning (IPBL)

Despite the convergence of multiple disciplines, little attention was paid to the interdisciplinary course modules. The current study employed an interdisciplinary project-based learning (IPBL) collaboration of Hospitality Business Management, Electrical Engineering, and Communication majors in a course— the STEM-oriented alliance of research (SOAR)— to enhance multidisciplinary understanding, entrepreneurial engineering mindsets, and promote transformational learning using three different data sources and mixed methodologies. Results indicate that students showed improvements in their overall confidence to engage across these facets. We discuss the implications of this approach to transform interdisciplinary understanding and confidence as students go onto their professional careers.

Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning: Experiences and Reflections From Teaching Electronic Engineering in China

Continuous developments in the electronics industry have led to constantly changing career roles and graduate skills requirements. Students in the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) have complained that numerous courses in electronic engineering are heavily focused on theoretical knowledge that is disconnected from the needs of the industry. Thus, in an effort toward delivering student-centered educational programmes that meet the needs of the industry, this article introduces an innovative course that was developed using the project-based learning (PBL) method and situated in the electronic engineering undergraduate programme at UESTC. Since real-world engineering projects require teams to collaborate on ill-defined problems, we focused this innovative course on developing professional and technical skills, drawing from a range of more typical electronic engineering courses. We provide full details of two projects that were created for this PBL approach and evaluate them as practice examples that demonstrate the impact of this practical pedagogic innovation in UESTC. According to our evaluation, completed by all 40 of our enrolled students, our innovative course based on interdisciplinary PBL exercises demonstrated a significant improvement in student satisfaction and 65% of students preferred the interdisciplinary PBL course in comparison to traditional lecture-based courses.

The impact of interdisciplinary Project Based Learning on young learners’ speaking results

The aim of this research study is to analyse the impact of interdisciplinary Project Based Learning (PBL) for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching on speaking skill results. A quasi-experimental design was selected to that effect, with a control group (24 participants) and an experimental one (22 participants) from the 5th grade of Primary Education, in the bilingual region of The Basque Country (Spain). The intervention for the control group was founded on a traditional method, whereas the experimental one was developed through interdisciplinary projects. Furthermore, the effect of the method on students’ motivation was measured as well. There was no initial difference between the groups, but there was a statistically significant difference, associated with the instruction method, in the experimental groups’ post-test speaking results. Moreover, data showed a significant difference in motivation in favour of the control group. Notwithstanding, the variance of the groups for the results in motivation were different. The findings revealed that the effect of the interdisciplinary PBL to EFL teaching was greater on the speaking results. Nevertheless, the difference in motivation could not be directly attributed to the training method.

Authenticity ahead of interdisciplinarity – a scoping review of student experiences in interdisciplinary science projects

Interdisciplinary projects are reported to facilitate the development of both disciplinary and generic skills. They vary in their design and implementation, but the effectiveness of different project models has not been studied. The aim of this study was to determine student satisfaction, engagement with learning and development of employability skills across interdisciplinary projects with different delivery models. This scoping review appraises interdisciplinary projects implemented in science-based undergraduate degree programs. Projects with varying models of delivery, interdisciplinarity, authenticity and external partner involvement were examined, and the reported student learning and satisfaction ratings compared. Descriptive statistics and cross tabulation using Fisher’s Exact test were used to analyse the data. The interdisciplinary project model had little effect on engagement with learning, but student satisfaction improved if the project task was rated as authentic (p<0.05). Improved learning was reported in about half of the projects reviewed. Improved employability was reported in projects where students used discipline-based skills to provide a consultancy (p<0.05), and those where an external partner was involved (p<0.05). The interdisciplinary project model did not affect disciplinary or employability skill development, apart from interdisciplinary competence, which was significantly improved in a truly interdisciplinary project (p<0.01). Interpersonal skill development was significantly improved where projects had integrated rather than sequential tasks (p<0.05). Overall, interdisciplinary projects that were authentic and/or involved an external partner generated better student satisfaction and real-world experience. These results inform the future design of interdisciplinary project-based learning tasks and encourage involvement of external partners in project design and delivery.

Role of perceived self-efficacy in automated project allocation: Measuring university students’ perceptions of justice in interdisciplinary project-based learning

Universities have implemented digital-technology-assisted automated project-allocation solutions to solve perceived injustices raised by students during manual project allocation for project-based learning (PBL). However, perceived injustices still occur. Grounded in social cognitive theory and organizational justice theory, this mixed-method case study explored the proposition that self-efficacy predicts perceived justice. First, we developed and evaluated an integrated scale that assessed self-efficacy and perceived justice by incorporating the educational context into PBL project allocation. Second, we tested three hypotheses regarding the relationship between self-efficacy and the dimensions of perceived justice, using structural equation modelling. Third, we conducted focus group interviews and qualitative analysis to explain the quantitative findings. The questionnaire was administered to two undergraduate cohorts (N1 = 226, N2 = 537) in an interdisciplinary PBL course at an international university. Perceived self-efficacy, procedural justice, distributive justice, and learning equity were the most relevant factors for perceived justice in PBL project allocation. Moreover, students' self-efficacy significantly predicted perceived justice, confirming human agency's critical role in automated project-allocation decision-making. Three themes were extracted to explain underlying mechanisms. This study provides a context-specific justice measurement tool and a conceptual model highlighting the importance of student self-efficacy for perceived justice in sustainable PBL in higher education.

Preliminary Study on the Design of Thematic Interdisciplinary Project-based Learning in History

Preliminary Study on the Design of Thematic Interdisciplinary Project-based Learning in History

Teaching Non-Majors Hydroponics: PBL in Higher Education

We designed an interdisciplinary project-based learning course in hydroponics for undergraduate non-science major students. Students worked in teams to design, build, and maintain plants in various types of hydroponic systems over the semester. In three semesters of teaching the course, students consistently demonstrated knowledge of course material and became confident in growing plants by hydroponic methods. Students reported the project-based, team-based, and mini-lecture aspects of the course increased their learning and motivation in the course.

Bridging Academic Disciplines with Interdisciplinary Project-based Learning

This article describes the implementation of an interdisciplinary design studio as a means to teach creative problem-solving through project-based learning. "Learning and Innovation Skills" has been designated as a core skill that students need to be successful in today's world, and project-based learning is one approach to helping students develop these skills. After describing the early genesis and development of the interdisciplinary design studio, the article describes results of initial research into the students’ experiences in studio courses. Students described courses as flexible and reported high levels of motivation stemming from the authenticity of the problems. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the studio, some students described deepening disciplinary skills while at the same time being exposed to cross-disciplinary skills. They believed the courses helped develop interdisciplinary collaboration, creativity, and communication skills.

The counselling self-efficacy scale for teachers: action research

ABSTRACT The action research describes the process of how the Counselling Self-Efficacy Scale for Teachers (CS-EST) was developed and explores its suitability as a teaching and learning tool using a pilot study of 178 students at Tallinn University, Estonia. The study integrated action research, interdisciplinary project-based learning, scale development and adaptation principles. During six counselling courses the SC-EST has been used both from the third-person perspective of the action researcher to reflect on the learning outcomes of students and from the student’s first-person perspective to support reflecting on one’s own counselling skills. The study showed that counselling self-efficacy in prospective teachers significantly raised during the courses. The scale can be used as an online self-assessment task in conjunction with reflective journaling during university-level counselling courses, as the study showed that together they form a useful formative assessment tool. The SC-EST seems to be suitable for Estonian and international students, however larger international studies are needed to further validate the scale. I consider the action research as a transformative learning experience in my professional development.