BLENDED AND PROJECT-BASED LEARNING: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

Abstract

Since its inception, the CDIO initiative has advocated the use of experiential learning. Problem- and Project-based learning (PBL and PjBL) have been widely acknowledged as an approach to dovetail experiential approaches into the learning process. The often-cited benefit of this approach is that participation in experiential projects in which students take on roles that simulate professional engineering practice results in dual-impact learning experiences. These experiences encourage the development of both technical knowledge and professional skills – consisting of personal and interpersonal skills, and product, process, and system building skills (Crawley et al., 2014). A drawback to PjBL is that it requires considerable contact time for facilitation, therefore blended learning has been identified as a method to free up limited contact hours for more active engagement. This paper presents our experience implementing blended, project-based learning in a technical fluid mechanics course, including contextual factors which impacted effectiveness of this approach. Student engagement with online lecture material was analyzed using user watch minutes; it was found that techniques implemented to reduce cramming appeared to be effective in achieving this goal. Data from end of term student feedback surveys was used to gain insight into student satisfaction with this blended project-based learning class. Findings from this course were compared with student responses on previous blended and traditional delivery courses. Findings indicated that when perceived workload increased, student perception of quality of instruction decreased. An analysis of expected vs. actual hours revealed that while hours dedicated to course work were lower than expected, students perceived the course load to be much higher than other courses. This suggests that time spent on this course required a higher level of activity and engagement per hour than what students are used to. Instructors should consider whether institutional support exists for the time- and resource-intensive development process of project-based learning, as promotion and tenure reviews could be negatively impacted by student evaluations. The paper will close with a discussion on insights that can be utilized productively by instructors to inform future PBL/PjBL development.