Project Based Learning (PBL)

Understanding the Difference

Projects

Project Based Learning

Choices

Limited opportunities for choices.

Most of the project choices are made by the students.

Goals

The outcome of the project is closed. Every project has the same goal. Differences in project outcomes will be minimal.

The outcome of the project is open. Students’ choices will determine unique goals and result in different and often delightful projects.

Involvement

Requires instructor’s attention after projects are complete in assessing, reading, attending seminars, & grading.

Requires instructor’s guidance & team collaboration throughout the project lifetime as well as preparation work before the project.

Relevance

Project problem is trivially reduced and may not simulate real situations that are faced in the real world.

Project problem is or closely resembles work done in the real world.

Assessment

Are often based on teacher perceptions that may or may not be explicitly shared with the students.

Are often graded against a defined, explicit rubric made or modified specifically for the project.

Getting Started

Why Project Based Learning? (Helpful even though it's geared toward K-12)

An Appeal to Teachers: Consider a Pre-planned Vacation

Is my project ready for PBL?

Centrality	The project itself serves as the vehicle for learning.	Yes No
Authenticity	The project topics, tasks, student roles, outside project collaborators, and final artifact stem from real-life challenges (vs. academic or scenario challenges).	Yes No
Voice and Choice	The project is student-driven vs. teacher-directed. Students are given less supervision, greater responsibility, and freedom to develop a solution.	Yes No
Interest and Value	The project activities are relevant, varied, fun, challenging, and provide opportunities to develop skills useful in the real world.	Yes No
Classroom Environment	The classroom environment promotes inquiry and mastery (vs. performance). Students perceive making mistakes as central to the project’s success.	Yes No
Constructive Investigation	The main activities of the project enable students to construct new understandings and new skills.	Yes No
Creation of Artifact	The students construct a physical artifact to demonstrate, share, and critique their new knowledge in a concrete way.	Yes No
Driving Question	The project presents an open-ended, engaging question or problem that drives students toward constructive investigation.	Yes No
Feedback	Students are given frequent feedback and encouragement from instructor and mentors.	Yes No

out of 9

PBL Resources used at Mines*

More Resources

IT-Based Chemistry	Enhancing Undergraduate Students’ Chemistry Understanding Through Project-Based Learning in an IT Environment
Mechanical & Civil Engineering	Case study of a project-based learning course in civil engineering design
Computer Science Project Management	Spiral and Project-Based Learning with Peer Assessment in a Computer Science Project Management Course
Digital Badges	Incorporating Digital Badges and Ontology into Project-Based Learning
Electrical Engineering	Teaching Electronics From Building Circuits to Systems Thinking and Programming
Electrical Engineering	Project-based Orientation Course for EE Freshmen: A Motivational Introduction to Engineering
Electrical Engineering	Applied Data Science with Python Specialization

*Speak to your librarian about journal subscriptions if you encounter any trouble accessing the articles.

Interested in getting more involved or submitting more resources? Contact us!

Carrie (CJ) McClelland	Petroleum & Engineering Design Society (EDS)
Mark Seger	Chemistry
Marcelo Simoes	Electrical Engineering
Ruichong (Ray) Zhang	Mechanical Engineering

Project Based Learning (PBL)

Understanding the Difference

Projects