Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effective Learning Through Project-Based Learning: Collaboration, Community, Design, and Technology

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Digital Communication and Learning

Part of the book series: Educational Communications and Technology Yearbook ((ECTY))

Abstract

Project-based learning assists students in several ways. It gives students greater control and flexibility to prepare and engage more in their learning. It integrates cooperation with industry or professional communities to build real-life issues to provide students with authentic learning experience. Project-based learning has been very popular in higher education. However, there appeared to be a gap in past studies in that they defined PBL differently and so developed PBL from a limited perspective. This research aims to explore current project-based learning studies in higher education to explore their learning advantages, implementation design, and technology support. In the last two decades, a search for project-based learning yielded 698 publications. Following a focus on higher education and the removal of irrelevant articles, 142 articles published between 2003 and 2019 were chosen for further research. The studies’ abstract was analyzed, yielding four key themes: collaboration, community, design, and technology. These themes are further addressed regarding learning processes. Implications and further studies have been discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Al-Maktoumi, A., Al-Ismaily, S., & Kacimov, A. (2016). Research-based learning for undergraduate students in soil and water sciences: A case study of hydropedology in an arid-zone environment. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 40(3), 321–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altay, B. (2014). User-centered design through learner-centered instruction. Teaching in Higher Education, 19(2), 138–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alves, A. C., Sousa, R. M., Fernandes, S., Cardoso, E., Carvalho, M. A., Figueiredo, J., & Pereira, R. M. S. (2016). Teacher’s experiences in PBL: Implications for practice. European Journal of Engineering Education, 41(2), 123–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bazeley, P. (2002). The evolution of a project involving an integrated analysis of structured qualitative and quantitative data: From N3 to NVivo. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 5(3), 229–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bobroff, J., & Bouquet, F. (2016). A project-based course about outreach in a physics curriculum. European Journal of Physics, 37(4), 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyle, E. A., MacArthur, E. W., Connolly, T. M., Hainey, T., Manea, M., Kärki, A., & van Rosmalen, P. (2014). A narrative literature review of games, animations and simulations to teach research methods and statistics. Computers & Education, 74, 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brewer, P. E., Mitchell, A., Sanders, R., Wallace, P., & Wood, D. D. (2015). Teaching and learning in cross-disciplinary virtual teams. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 58(2), 208–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C.-Y., & Teng, K.-C. (2011). The design and development of a computerized tool support for conducting senior projects in software engineering education. Computers & Education, 56(3), 802–817.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chipere, N. (2017). A framework for developing sustainable e-learning programmes. Open Learning, 32(1), 36–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cutrim Schmid, E., & Hegelheimer, V. (2014). Collaborative research projects in the technology-enhanced language classroom: Pre-service and in-service teachers exchange knowledge about technology. ReCALL, 26(3), 315–332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diamond, S., Middleton, A., & Mather, R. (2011). A cross-faculty simulation model for authentic learning. Innovations in Education & Teaching International, 48(1), 25–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubus, N. (2014). Applied learning: A project for graduate social work students. Social Work Education, 33(2), 254–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Earl, A., VanWynsberghe, R., Walter, P., & Straka, T. (2018). Adaptive education applied to higher education for sustainability. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 19(6), 1111–1130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, G., & Weekes, T. (2008). Making sustainability “real”: Using group-enquiry to promote education for sustainable development. Environmental Education Research, 14(4), 482–500.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, R., Friedman, J., McGrath, L., Myers, P., & Ruiz, A. (2018). Math path: Encouraging female students in mathematics through project-based learning. Primus: Problems, Resources & Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies, 28(4), 287–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fearon, C., McLaughlin, H., & Eng, T. Y. (2012). Using student group work in higher education to emulate professional communities of practice. Education + Training, 54(2/3), 114–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernandes, S., Mesquita, D., Flores, M. A., & Lima, R. M. (2014). Engaging students in learning: Findings from a study of project-led education. European Journal of Engineering Education, 39(1), 55–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frank, M., & Barzilai, A. (2004). Integrating alternative assessment in a project-based learning course for pre-service science and technology teachers. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 29(1), 41–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • García-Aracil, A. (2012). A comparative analysis of study satisfaction among young European higher education graduates. Irish Educational Studies, 31(2), 223–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerstenblatt, P., & Gilbert, D. J. (2014). Framing service learning in social work: An interdisciplinary elective course embedded within a university-community partnership. Social Work Education, 33(8), 1037–1053.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giles (Jr.), D. E., & Eyler, J. (1994). The theoretical roots of service-learning in John Dewey: Toward a theory of service-learning. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 1(1), 77–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B. (1978). Theoretical sensitivity. Sociology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gunawardena, C. (1995). Social presence theory and implications for interaction and collaborative learning in computer conferences. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 1(2/3), 147–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanney, R. (2018). Doing, being, becoming: A historical appraisal of the modalities of project-based learning. Teaching in Higher Education, 23(6), 769–783.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harmer, N., & Stokes, A. (2016). “Choice may not necessarily be a good thing”: Student attitudes to autonomy in interdisciplinary project-based learning in GEES disciplines. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 40(4), 531–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haydari, N., & Kara, M. (2015). A collaborative media production project on human rights: Bridging everyday and media education. Innovations in Education & Teaching International, 52(4), 383–392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, W.-H. D., Hood, D. W., & Yoo, S. J. (2014). Motivational support in Web 2.0 learning environments: A regression analysis based on the integrative theory of motivation, volition and performance. Innovations in Education & Teaching International, 51(6), 631–641.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hung, S.-T.A., & Huang, H.-T.D. (2016). Blogs as a learning and assessment instrument for English-speaking performance. Interactive Learning Environments, 24(8), 1881–1894.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M., & Lewis, C. (2013). ‘Can you dig it?’ Developing an approach to validly assessing diverse skills in an archaeological context. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 65(2), 177–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kantola, M., & Kettunen, J. (2012). Integration of education with research and development and the export of higher education. On the Horizon, 20(1), 7–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, M. (2018). Project-based community participatory action research using geographic information technologies. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 42(1), 61–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, D., & Lim, C. (2018). Promoting socially shared metacognitive regulation in collaborative project-based learning: A framework for the design of structured guidance. Teaching in Higher Education, 23(2), 194–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knight, K. (2016). CALF: Creating academic learning futures. A synopsis of a three year HEA-funded Project from an arts university perspective. Sensoria: A Journal of Mind, Brain & Culture, 12(1), 12–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kosinski-Collins, M., & Gordon-Messer, S. (2010). Using scientific purposes to improve student writing & understanding in undergraduate biology project-based laboratories. American Biology Teacher (national Association of Biology Teachers), 72(9), 578–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lahiff, A., & Guile, D. (2016). ‘It’s not like a normal 9 to 5!’: The learning journeys of media production apprentices in distributed working conditions. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 68(3), 302–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leszczynski, E., Monahan, C., Munakata, M., & Vaidya, A. (2017). The windwalker project: An open-ended approach. Journal of College Science Teaching, 46(6), 27–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, J.-W. (2018). Effects of an online team project-based learning environment with group awareness and peer evaluation on socially shared regulation of learning and self-regulated learning. Behaviour & Information Technology, 37(5), 445–461.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Llorens, A., Berbegal-Mirabent, J., & Llinàs-Audet, X. (2017). Aligning professional skills and active learning methods: An application for information and communications technology engineering. European Journal of Engineering Education, 42(4), 382–395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lockrey, S., & Bissett Johnson, K. (2013). Designing pedagogy with emerging sustainable technologies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 61, 70–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, W. W. K. (2020). Effective learning through deep learning, what matters: Self, others, way of thinking, and/or design of learning environment? In W. W. K. Ma et al. (Eds.), Learning environment and design, educational communications and technology yearbook (pp. 3–17). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8167-0_1

  • Mariage, T. V., & Garmon, M. A. (2003). A case of educational change. Remedial & Special Education, 24(4), 215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menéndez-Varela, J.-L., & Gregori-Giralt, E. (2016). The contribution of rubrics to the validity of performance assessment: A study of the conservation–restoration and design undergraduate degrees. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(2), 228–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morales, T., Bang, E., & Andre, T. (2013). A one-year case study: Understanding the rich potential of project-based learning in a virtual reality class for high school students. Journal of Science Education & Technology, 22(5), 791–806.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neuman, W. (2006). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (6th ed.). Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Page, K. L., & Reynolds, N. (2015). Learning from a wiki way of learning. Studies in Higher Education, 40(6), 988–1013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plank, J., Feldon, D., Sherman, W., & Elliot, J. (2011). Complex systems, interdisciplinary collaboration, and institutional renewal. Change, 43(3), 35–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pomales-García, C., & Barreto, K. C. (2014). Comparative analysis of student self-reflections on course projects. European Journal of Engineering Education, 39(6), 685–699.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Punch, K. (1998). Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rand, J. (2016). Researching undergraduate social science research. Teaching in Higher Education, 21(7), 773–789.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reeve, J. (2002). Self-determination theory applied to educational settings. In E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research (pp. 183–203). University of Rochester Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ricke, A. (2018). Finding the right fit: Helping students apply theory to service-learning contexts. Journal of Experiential Education, 41(1), 8–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, T. S. (Ed.). (2004). Online collaborative learning: Theory and practice. Idea Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roussinos, D., & Jimoyiannis, A. (2013). Analysis of students’ participation patterns and learning presence in a wiki-based project. Educational Media International, 50(4), 306–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, B. J. (Eds.). (2012). Motivation and self-regulated learning: Theory, research, and applications. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheffield, R., Koul, R., Blackley, S., & Maynard, N. (2017). Makerspace in STEM for girls: A physical space to develop twenty-first-century skills. Educational Media International, 54(2), 148–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smallwood, A. M. K., & Brunner, B. R. (2017). Engaged learning through online collaborative public relations projects across universities. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 72(4), 442–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, P., Poppitt, N., & Scott, J. (2013). A critical account of practice within an innovative Foundation degree in UK higher education. Education + Training, 55(6), 599–616.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A. F. V., & Thondhlana, J. (2015). The EAP competencies in a group case study project as revealed by a task analysis. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 20, 14–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoddart, A., Chan, J.Y.-Y., & Liu, G.-Z. (2016). Enhancing successful outcomes of wiki-based collaborative writing: A state-of-the-art review of facilitation frameworks. Interactive Learning Environments, 24(1), 142–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Svensson, T., & Gunnarsson, S. (2012). A Design-Build-Test course in electronics based on the CDIO framework for engineering education. International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education, 49(4), 349–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tesdell, L. S., Southard, S., & Bates, C. (2005). Technology and curricular reform in China: A case study. Technical Communication, 52(1), 104–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinnirello, A. M., Gago, E. A., & Dadamo, M. B. (2010). Designing interdisciplinary interactive work: Basic sciences in engineering education. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 5(3), 331–344.

    Google Scholar 

  • TurkuAMK. (2020). Innovation in Education Webinar. https://youtu.be/HdmA2ij0lZ8

  • Van Rooij, S. W. (2009). Scaffolding project-based learning with the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK®). Computers & Education, 52(1), 210–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind and society. Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warschauer, M. (1995). Computer-mediated collaborative learning: Theory and practice. (Research Note #17). University of Hawaii, Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, K., & Fowler, J. (2005). Assessing the impact of learning environments on students’ approaches to learning: Comparing conventional and action learning designs. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 30(1), 87–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, A., Howitt, S., & Higgins, D. (2016). A fundamental misalignment: Intended learning and assessment practices in undergraduate science research projects. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(6), 869–884.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winther, H. (2018). Dancing days with young people: An art-based coproduced research film on embodied leadership, creativity, and innovative education. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 17(1), 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wyatt, S. (2005). Extending inquiry-based learning to include original experimentation. JGE: The Journal of General Education, 54(2), 83–89.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Learning Commons & Digital Innovation (LCDI), Technological & Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), Hong Kong, China

    Will W. K. Ma

Authors
  1. Will W. K. Ma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Will W. K. Ma .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hong Kong Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Hong Kong, China

    Anna Wing Bo Tso

  2. Hong Kong Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Hong Kong, China

    Alex Chi-keung Chan

  3. Hong Kong Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Hong Kong, China

    Wendy Wing Lam Chan

  4. The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Peter Edward Sidorko

  5. Hong Kong Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Hong Kong, China

    Will W. K. Ma

Ethics declarations

The author reported no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Ma, W.W.K. (2022). Effective Learning Through Project-Based Learning: Collaboration, Community, Design, and Technology. In: Tso, A.W.B., Chan, A.Ck., Chan, W.W.L., Sidorko, P.E., Ma, W.W.K. (eds) Digital Communication and Learning. Educational Communications and Technology Yearbook. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8329-9_17

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8329-9_17

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-8328-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-16-8329-9

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation