Project-based Learning Course Research Articles

Analysis of collaborative CAD user actions in design sprint: insights from an educational setting

AbstractDesign sprints complement traditional teaching methods, especially in project-based learning courses. While this approach can potentially change Computer-Aided Design (CAD) usage, it is still underexplored. Therefore, this study explores the influence of design sprints on embodiment-focused CAD activities in project-based learning by examining differences in patterns of CAD user actions, focusing on design space and action types. The case involves two higher-graded and two lower-graded student design teams monitored with a non-invasive method across a two-day design sprint event.

Developing a Project-Based Learning Course Model Combined with the Think–Pair–Share Strategy to Enhance Creative Thinking Skills in Education Students

The aim of this research was to produce a project-based learning (PjBL) course model that combines with the Think–Pair–Share (TPS) strategy and to determine its effectiveness in improving the creative thinking skills of education students. The sample of participants comprised 100 students from a university in Bangkok, Thailand. Five main elements comprised the PjBL-TPS course: 1. Project Preparation (including an introduction, pairs formation, and an understanding of the project); 2. Project Pair Cooperation (including discussion, knowledge framework development in pairs, practice analysis, brainstorming, and pair feedback); 3. Project Production (including its development, testing, refinement, and presentation); 4. Project Evaluation (including giving feedback on the work of the other pairs); and 5. Project Conclusion (including reflecting on the overall experience of the project). The results show that, in their post-course exercises, the students displayed enhanced creativity in all areas of creative skills (involving fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration). The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher creativity levels compared to the control group. In addition, the post-course assessments of the self-perceived creativity improvements of the students revealed that, post-course, most of the students perceived improvements in every aspect of their creativity.

Web-Based Business Simulation Practice Course Learning Application

This research is planned to continue and realize the results and objectives of previous research in 2022 with applied research on innovative products, namely Practical Learning Applications for Virtual Business Simulation Courses in the Business Administration Study Program. The long-term goal of this research is to develop project-based and digital technology-based Business Simulation learning courses used by students and lecturers. The method used to achieve this is the R and D method. The target for this research output is Copyright and publication of the accredited national journal Sinta 2. This research produces a virtual business simulation learning application based on a research model that was created in 2022. Research This is a type of action research and development using the Research and Development (R&D) method. This research also tested innovative products practiced by 70 5th-semester students, 10 people were taken from each 5th-semester class of the Business Administration Study Program (7 classes) as test respondents in using this Business Simulation application. The Business Simulation Application was created under the business simulation learning process contained in the RPS for the Business Simulation Course. This simulation application is web-based and is equipped with a video tutorial to make it easier to use. Application testing results show that this business simulation application makes business work easier and faster for the positions of manager, head of administrative supplies, and head of finance.

Sustainable Engineering Design in Education: A Pilot Study of Teaching Right-to-Repair Principles through Project-Based Learning.

Over 60 million tons of E-waste is expected to be generated in 2023, with associated significant impacts on health and the environment. To reduce the number of products sent to landfills, "Right to Repair" (RtR) movements are gaining momentum in many countries, including the UK, USA, and EU member states. While Universities are seen as important stakeholders to drive forward sustainable design practices, there is currently little work looking at training undergraduate design engineers in the principles of designing household products in support of RtR. In particular, the project-based learning (PBL) pedagogy shows promise in engaging and training students with the skills and knowledge required to successfully design products for RtR. In this paper, a pilot-study of teaching engineers is presented to design products compatible with RtR principles, alongside many technical skills, in a first-year PBL course. The key outputs of this paper are the design of the module, which can be used to help inform first-year engineering education, the high engagement of students, with 100% of respondents agreeing that they intend to try to implement sustainable design practices in future, and some of the innovative features that students implement in their projects.

Teaching Practice of Applying Design Thinking in a Project-based Learning Course: Facilitating Junior High Students in Developing Inquiry Topics

Teaching Practice of Applying Design Thinking in a Project-based Learning Course: Facilitating Junior High Students in Developing Inquiry Topics

Creating effective project-based courses: personal relevance and its relations to successful group work

ABSTRACT Group projects are expected in contemporary engineering curricula, and yet they often pose a challenge to students and instructors alike. Could making projects personally relevant help? The present study created and tested a conceptual framework regarding the impact of personal relevance on groupwork in a project-based learning (PBL) course. We examined how measures of personal relevance (PR), both at the course level (value, interest in specialisation) and specifically regarding projects (interest and investment in the project, and contribution to the project idea) relate to students’ expectancy, group connectedness, team dynamics (effectiveness, conflict, satisfaction, interdependence, and cohesiveness), and perceived effort; whether PR differs based on students’ gender, academic year, or time of the semester; and whether PR predicts students’ project performance. Seventy-one undergraduates in a project-based computer science course at a large public US university completed surveys assessing these constructs at five timepoints during the semester. Our findings suggest PR is related to positive outcomes in PBL courses, with interest and investment predicting an increase in the project grade. Similarly, gender predicted project grade with female students having significantly higher scores overall, above and beyond other measures. We discuss implications for creating project-based courses in higher education engineering courses.

MỘT SỐ BIỆN PHÁP NÂNG CAO CHẤT LƯỢNG DẠY HỌC HỌC PHẦN “CAD TRONG KỸ THUẬT” THEO DỰ ÁN CHO SINH VIÊN NGÀNH CÔNG NGHỆ KỸ THUẬT Ô TÔ, TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC VINH

In the integration and development trend of education in general and university training in particular, continuous innovation of teaching methods is crucial for achieving optimal effectiveness. Project-based learning courses are vital components in higher education programs, garnering attention in terms of faculty, training programs, and infrastructure investment. This paper aims to enhance the quality of education and diversify the implementation of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) project-based learning courses in automotive engineering. The contents of the module have been evaluated, thereby proposing a number of specific measures to adapt to the specific nature of the Automotive Engineering training field and improve the quality of provided education, including raising awareness of project-based learning, enhancing faculty capacity-building, diversifying teaching methods, and ensuring supportive conditions for teaching activities.

Development of a proof-of-concept prototype amid limited face-to-face interactions: A case study of an engineering two-student team

The COVID-19 crisis has necessitated the exploration of alternative learning methodologies to address the challenges of online education, especially in the context of teamwork. This case study examined the effectiveness of a small student team through a project focused on designing, fabricating, and testing a proof-of-concept prototype, specifically a Level 3 prototype according to the technology readiness level (TRL) scale. The project was predominantly carried out under the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. The student team consisted of two undergraduate engineering students with prior experience in project-based learning (PBL) courses. The effectiveness of this teamwork in the current project was found to be strongly influenced by attributes such as shared goals and values, commitment to team success, constructive feedback, and accountability. However, the students’ previous experiences in larger teams indicated that characteristics such as ideal team composition, leadership, and open communication were more prominent in those contexts. While team size may explain these differences, further research is necessary to establish definitive conclusions. The contributions of each student to the teamwork were characterized by independence and self-pacing, which played a crucial role in achieving the desired project outcomes. In conclusion, this case study emphasizes the importance of adapting to remote teamwork scenarios and provides strategies for effective project management. The findings highlight the significance of shared goals, commitment, feedback, and accountability in fostering effective teamwork. Moreover, the contributions of independence and self-pacing were instrumental in navigating the challenges posed by limited face-to-face interactions. Future research should investigate the impact of team size on team dynamics, the development of self-regulation skills in similar contexts, and the dynamics of teamwork when students lack experience in a PBL course. These investigations will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of effective teamwork strategies in diverse educational settings. The insights gained from this study contribute to the ongoing discussion on effective teamwork strategies in remote learning environments.

Using Competition to Improve Students’ Learning in a Project-Based Learning Course

In this article, we presented our findings regarding an online project-based learning course, delivered to 64 students from the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the second semester of 2021. The course had the goal of teaching Project Management by means of a competition (the Data Science Olympics). Our goal was to investigate the systemic impacts of the competition on learning. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire and from comments posted on the teams’ websites. We followed a convergent parallel mixed methods approach. We analyzed the data using a causal loop diagram to connect the insights gained with quantitative and qualitative results. Our findings were as follows: 1)The use of competition in a project-based learning centered course helped the students to develop project management and data science skills, and fostered metacognition and knowledge sharing opportunities. 2)The Data Science Olympics increased the students’ intrinsic motivation to learn. 3)The project-based teaching practices (scaffolding the students’ learning, giving meaningful feedback to the students, and managing the activities) facilitated the students' learning. 4)The problems the students faced throughout the Project (dropouts, communication problems, lack of commitment, difficulty scheduling online team meetings) impacted negatively on the students' motivation.

Professionalizing teachers through a co-design learning framework

ABSTRACT Teachers are rarely included as partners in school reforms or in planning teacher supports to enact new initiatives. The authors explored co-design as a professional learning (PL) framework to support localized enactment of a high school language arts project-based learning (PBL) course. They examined aspects that facilitated or limited progress toward PBL goals within the co-design PL. Results suggest that productive PL requires teachers to be positioned as key members from the onset who feel they have agency in adapting and enacting curriculum. When teachers are not part of the decision-making, it is difficult to agree on the focus and invest in the shared work. Co-design facilitated the professionalization of teachers when teachers had agency, partners developed trust through vulnerability, and partners experienced small successes together. The authors share the Partnership Planning Tool that can be used to identify the complex interplay between partners to support positive change.

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 contribution of a project-based learning course, designed as a pedagogy of practice, to the development of preservice teachers' professional identity

This study demonstrates a positive link between participation in an online project-based learning course, designed as a pedagogy of practice, and preservice teachers' professional-identity development process. The linguistic and content analyses revealed that the construction of professional identity was manifested through six motifs: Self-confidence, self-agency, sense of belonging, self-awareness, autonomy, and envisioning a future teaching self. Each of the motifs was portrayed with its characteristic set of time-oriented types of discourse (i.e., using past, present, and future tenses while describing feelings and thoughts regarding one's teaching self.) Based on the findings, we introduce a multidimensional model that explains identity construction as occurring at the intersection between the dimensions of identity and the temporal dimensions found in reflective discourse.

Developing a weather prediction project-based machine learning course in facilitating AI learning among high school students

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has changed lifestyles, work patterns, and educational approaches. However, courses that can guide students through the practical applications of AI technology are still scarce in K-12 education. This study aimed to develop a project-based machine learning (ML) course for the implementation of AI technology. The core idea of this course, which focused on the supervised learning of AI ML technology, was designed based on the project of weather prediction. Furthermore, data collection and status display were realized using various hardware devices such as Arduino and sensors, whereas ML algorithms were implemented in Python programming language. A total of 68 eleventh-grade senior high school students from a public school in Southern Taiwan participated in this study. The main variables included understanding AI concepts, computational thinking (CT), and learning attitude. Data were analyzed using quantitative statistics, including descriptive statistics, t-test, and analysis of covariance, supplemented with qualitative data. Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) the proposed course on the implementation of ML helps students understand the basic concepts of AI; (2) students demonstrate a significant improvement in CT skills after attending this course; (3) although the students’ attitude toward learning AI shows no significant change after attending this course, their overall view for it is positive; (4) contrary to their learning attitude, the CT skills among the students with different capabilities of learning AI are significantly dissimilar. Overall, the machine-learning implementation course developed in this study can serve as a reference for promoting AI education in the future. However, considering learners’ prior knowledge in programming, setting up appropriate learning scaffolding for them, and providing them with more examples of the applications of AI in real-life scenarios is still necessary when conducting the course for improving the students’ attitude toward AI.

Students’ innovation for age-ready smart cities

The development of smart cities has seen a shift in governance systems where citizens have gone from mere recipients of services to co-creators. As smart cities rely heavily on Information and Communication Technologies to achieve their goals, it is a challenge to engage older populations in digital participatory processes. A project-based learning course was developed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology to challenge master students across all study programs to come up with ideas for tackling this issue. This paper presents the results of their multidisciplinary collaboration applied to real cases in municipalities in Norway. We find that a transgenerational approach is essential in the design and development phase of participatory methods to ensure better implementation and uptake of technologies.

The Use of Project Based Learning to Improve Business and Workforce Performance

Purpose: The evolving global economy in the manufacturing industry requires an educated and skillful workforce to remain current through lifelong learning and apply knowledge for their own employability and for a sustainable world. Accordingly, project-based learning (PBL) programmes have been widely applied in the industry to provide opportunities for employees to acquire knowledge directly from their jobs by using various strategies of learning that are associated with their work. This paper reviews several case studies implemented by the Institute of Productivity (IOP) and Nisai Group, which are based on PBL approaches and informed by action research. In addition, it provides insights about how these strategies have been applied and how they have prepared workers to meet competency requirements set for different industrial problem statements, including their objectives, learning activities, main outcomes, and dissemination of the results. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research was designed as a case study involving four PBL courses implemented by the group. The reports from each PBL were collected and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings/Results: The PBL courses implemented by the group were based on the teaching learning theory of constructivism. Here, the findings provided insight into how PBL was implemented in different sectors and how it can contribute to business improvement, lifelong learning capabilities, and professional competencies. Originality/Value: The integrated approach of both action research and PBL demonstrated to be beneficial for different manufacturing industries and communities in the United Kingdom and South-East Asia. The results also provide an opportunity for different stakeholders, including educators to critically reflect on how PBL can be implemented in different sectors to attain similar outcomes. Paper Type: Case study

Effective Assessment Strategies for Project-Based Learning

Rapid technological changes have radically changed the expectations of employers from the current generation of engineering graduates, necessitating educators to focus on the development of core subject comprehension and required skills among the students in their engineering programs. Research has shown that project-based learning (PBL) is an effective pedagogy to address this dual requirement of core technical knowledge and skills to effectively utilize this knowledge to solve problems. PBL is a pedagogical approach wherein students work to address real- world problems and challenges through the application of knowledge acquired in the class, unlike the traditional classroom approach involving lectures, studying, and taking tests. The core of every PBL course involves effective cooperation, collaboration, and communication among students and between students and faculty. It is believed that this hands-on learning through problem- solving, combined with the development of soft skills, helps enhance learning outcomes and elevates learning to higher cognitive levels. An innovative course titled “Engineering Exploration”, taught and co-designed by a multidisciplinary faculty is offered at the authors’ institution. The course is a core component of the first-year undergraduate engineering curriculum. During this course, students learn about and apply the full range of engineering design tasks, from the development of need statements and problem definition to virtual and physical prototyping, to solve real-world problems. A continuing outcome of this course is interdisciplinary problem-solving, engineering design process, and teamwork. Effective assessment of student learning is a challenge in PBL courses. To address this constant challenge, the authors have developed a comprehensive assessment strategy, incorporating summative, formative, and diagnostic assessments, to assess student learning throughout the course. This paper presents a discussion of these strategies, our experiences and observations, and strategies to incorporate the same into PBL courses. Keywords— project-based learning, assessment, diagnostic assessment, PROBE

The Community of Inquiry Perspective on Teachers’ Role and Students’ Evaluations of Online Project-Based Learning

The role of teachers is an important element of online project-based learning courses. Based on the Community of Inquiry framework, this study examined how students’ perceptions of teaching presence, through social presence and cognitive presence, were related to their evaluations of online project-based learning. A 16-week online project-based legal education course was implemented. During the course, students engaged in two small group activities and created two final products. Survey data were collected twice from 38 and 41 students in two course phases. Results from partial least squares analyses revealed that teaching presence was directly related to students’ evaluations in the early stage of the course and indirectly related to students’ evaluations, through the effects of social presence, in the entire course. Practical implications for teachers and suggestions for further studies are provided.

The Efficacy of Global Networked Collaborative PBL Courses on Fostering Global Competence among Pupils

<p>為了因應全球化的浪潮與提昇國際競爭力，如何培養學生之全球勝任力的議題正日漸受到重視，因此，本研究提出國際網路專題導向式合作學習課程的學習模式，此學習模式要求中小學學生在一個國際化的虛擬學習環境中共同探討與應對聯合國所倡議的全球永續發展的相關議題。本研究之目的，係採用實證研究方法，驗證國際網路專題導向式合作學習課程的學習模式是否能增進學生的全球勝任力。本研究首先完成了四門國際網路專題導向式合作學習課程的設計，並建置於一個國際化的網路合作學習平台中，接著邀請世界各地有興趣的中小學學生以小組的方式參與10 週的課程活動。為了評量課程活動在培養全球勝任力上的效能，本研究發展出一個全球勝任力專家量表，並以前、後測的方式請求小組帶隊的教師為其組員填寫量表。此全球勝任力專家量表共分為洞察力、體認力、溝通力、與實踐力四個向度。研究結果顯示，本研究所提出的學習模式，可以顯著提昇學習者的全球勝任力。</p> <p> </p><p>It is on the spotlight currently in education regarding how to nurture global competence in K-12. The study proposes the learning genre of global networked collaborative project-based learning for meeting the goal. The genre places students in a virtual learning environment with a global context and encourage them to deal with sustainable development goals, which was initiated by United Nations in 2015, in a joint effort collaboratively. The goal of the study is to verify by incorporating empirical methodologies whether the genre could foster global competence or not? First, four designated project-based learning courses were designed and implemented on a renown international collaborative learning platform. International participants then were recruited in an open manner and took part in the learning tasks of the courses online for 10 weeks in a team-based format. For assessing the performance in global competence, a rubric was developed and administered in pretest and posttest fashion, which were responded by teachers of the participating teams for all team members individually before and after the courses respectively. The criteria of the rubric are composed of four pillars, which are Investigate the World, Recognize Perspectives, Communicate Ideas, and Take Action. Results of the data analysis reveal that the proposed learning genre raises global competence significantly.</p> <p> </p>

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.

Making knowledge clips with patients: What learning mechanisms are triggered in medical students?

ObjectiveTo prepare medical students for a rapidly changing healthcare landscape, where new means of communication emerge, innovative teaching methods are needed. We developed a project-based learning course in which medical students design audiovisual patient information in collaboration with patients and with students in Communication and Information Sciences (CIS). We studied what learning mechanisms are triggered in medical students by elements of a project-based-learning course. MethodsIn this qualitative study, twelve sixth year medical students that participated in the course were individually interviewed. Data were analyzed according to the principles of qualitative template analysis. ResultsWe identified four learning mechanisms: Challenging assumptions about patients’ information needs; Becoming aware of the origin of patients’ information needs; Taking a patient’s perspective; Analyzing language to adapt to patients’ needs. These learning mechanisms were activated by making a knowledge clip, collaborating with patients, and collaborating with CIS students. ConclusionCollaborating with patients helped students to recognize and understand patients’ perspectives. Working on a tangible product in partnership with patients and CIS students, triggered students to apply their understanding in conveying information back to patients. Practice implicationBased on our findings we encourage educators to involve patients as collaborators in authentic assignments for students so they can apply what they learned from taking patients’ perspectives.