As the last stop before hitting the workforce for some of our learners, project based learning is a must in higher education. Employers are looking for team members who can collaborate, problem solve, and think critically. There are no companies with 30 employees in a room taking notes in order to regurgitate information later. Let’s see what Project Based Learning can look like in higher education.
In higher education, our learners are still looking to explore their passions and understand their callings. PBL gives them a chance to use their voice to create great learning experiences. In some college classes using PBL, we see professors giving the learners latitude in how they will show mastery of the content. Personally, building out how they will apply the learning.
Small groups are a necessity for making it through difficult college courses. Without a study group that knows how to support each other with an agenda and next steps, getting through Thermodynamics in the first year of engineering is a tough go.
Technical colleges often have an inside track to PBL, as they already have their learners in an active working environment. We see learners learning about a trade like electrician, plumber, carpenter, or other trade where the learners are already in a real world environment.
This can be a bit misleading though too. If we have a whole set of outlets set up in a classroom for our learners to engage with but they never see an outlet in a real house, we can miss it. The outlet is real world, but the situation is not. When you go see an outlet in a house from the 1970s it can be a different story. We still need to make sure it is a real world situation not a scenario.
Higher Ed courses in the medical field or the education field can have opportunities built in where learners go out into their field and then come back to reflect and learn, which creates opportunities to practice in the real world before learners are fully out in the real world.
In very practical terms, the engagement of Project Based Learning can help keep our learners in college longer. College persistence rate has been proven to get our learners past the first year of college and into the second year, which is a great measure of future success.
Project Based Learning in higher education is a must in moving forward to achieve the true goals beyond the piece of paper at the end of a degree. A degree without skills is not what our graduates need to make an impact!
Video Related Resources
Attend a PBL Workshop-PBL Workshops (Individuals & Small Groups) | PBL Jumpstart Overview for Pre-Service Teachers
The PBL Playbook Podcast: PBL Student Performance in Higher Ed
PBL Examples: STEM PBL Units created by Teach (STEM)^3 Scholars at University of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, IN.
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