Teacher's Perceptions of the Fertility in Implementing Project-based Learning in Engineering Courses

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a survey on teachers' conceptual change regarding the use of Project-Based Learnin (PBL). The objective is to investigate the teacher's perception of the fertility in the use of this strategy within the context of projects offered alongside undergraduate engineering programs. At Mauá Institute of Technology, where this research was conducted, all students are instructed to complete at least two semester projects from a list of projects of their choice. In general, Project Based Learning stands out as a suitable approach for conducting these projects with groups of students. However, adopting the PBL strategy is not always straightforward, as some teachers resist using it or even alter its structure, developing their own models of PBL. Conversely, as instructors increasingly recognize Project-Based Learning as a productive and promising strategy, they begin to employ it with greater enthusiasm, resulting in improved learning outcomes. The primary objective of this study is to provide insights of the effectiveness of Project-Based Learning, show how instructors perceive the outcomes when implementing this strategy, and identify the challenges associated with its application. In this context, "fertility" corresponds to one of the stages of the Conceptual Change Model (comprising Intelligibility, Plausibility, and Fertility), which determines whether a concept is effectively assimilated by an individual. This study draws an parallel between the fertility of the teaching strategy and the positive outcomes observed when using Project Based Learning. If a strategy demonstrates fertility, it is more likely to be adopted by teachers, among other strategy options. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with the teachers, and the findings reveal that instructors perceive two types of fertility when employing this strategy. The first relates to student learning, in which instructors felt that students begin to recognize their own educational needs and proactively seek the tools necessary to facilitate their learning. The second type of fertility is associated with the teachers who start to realize Project Based Learning as a versatile methodology, that is effective for both in-person and remote teams, whether they consist of students from the same course or from different programs and academic levels. Nevertheless, this approach also presents challenges, such as the requirement for active student engagement in problem-solving and the time and effort demanded from instructors to create projects and manage teams. On the other hand, there are many opportunities for effectively implementing this strategy, which necessitates ongoing training to maximize its benefits. For oral presentation. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2024.