What is Project-Based Education?

Definition

Project-based education (PBE) is a pedagogic approach that uses project work to foster subject-specific and transferable competencies, as well as independent learning. Students typically work in teams, sometimes with a guide/coach, and are given a challenge situated in a practice-based context. Through independent inquiry and research (both individually and as part of a group), as well as with a variety of inputs (such as lectures and expert visits), students develop problem statements and solutions that are presented at the end of the course.

Key Features

Under the term "project-based", we recognise that there are many varieties of projects and many methods that can be applied within projects. Across this diversity, however, there are some key features:

Learning objectives

The project is central to the course’s curriculum, i.e. students learn a substantial part of the content through the project. Lecturers design learning objectives that clearly connect the content of the course to the subject-specific and transferable competencies that students are expected to develop during the course.

Real-world or practice context

The lecturer(s) situate the project in a relevant, practice-based context, often with connection to practitioners or communities outside the academic context (e.g. as project partners, experts or reviewers). Students navigate a complex and open-ended problem while considering manifold perspectives in their solution-finding process..

Process and student agency

The project offers students a degree of freedom in the definition of a problem/situation, the project process and/or the development of the outcomes of the project. Students pass through multiple and rapid (design/ development) iterations. The project promotes independent inquiry and exploration and through this stimulates agency and piques curiosity.

Guidance and coaching 

Students collaborate in (interdisciplinary) groups. Coaches moderate the team process. The lecturers facilitate the learning process by providing guidance and prompting the groups to find solutions independently. Experts may be invited to provide subject-matter insights, feedback and reviews. Depending on the project size and structure, the roles of the lecturer, coach, and expert may be fulfilled by multiple individuals or the same person.

Review and Assessment

Students undertake formative assessments throughout the project, and produce a final result that is typically presented to peers and (ideally) external stakeholders from the practice context. Assessments are graded such that both subject-specific and transferable (including method-specific) competencies are assessed. Often, assignments are tailored to the real-world context, such that students use a variety of media to visualize their project as well as process.

Reflection and Evaluation

The lecturers design and deliver the project in a way that students are encouraged to reflect on their own learning journey and can understand how both subject-specific and transferable competencies are fostered through the project.