Learning from Problem-Based Projects in Cross-Disciplinary Student Teams

Abstract

This paper explores how engineering students and Work and Welfare students reflect upon their own engagement in a one-week cross-disciplinary project. To develop a better understanding of what unfolds during these activities we collected data through anonymous surveys two consecutive years. Data from these 141 respondents were analysed using a learning history approach and are presented as narratives. Results show major disruptions and conflicts driving the student projects, exposing inviting confrontations, social identity threats, managing diversity, and friction of ideas. Whereas this in many cases led to new and better project solutions, these real-world experiences raise awareness of the need for tools and methods for training students. The aim of the paper is to learn from students’ experiences through narrative distance, and fill a gap in the literature between problem-based learning (PBL) and the learning history method. Discussing different experiences of cross-disciplinary teamwork through the explanations of these theories, we also lay out potential questions for future research on the topic.

Mathematics education for relevance, responsiveness, and viability in Africa within the Fourth Industrial Revolution era

“…Through the solving of problems, the students acquire the necessary knowledge and understanding of the content (Savin-Baden 2008, p. 8). Tan (2005) and Ellingsen et al (2021) point out that the use of crossdisciplinary knowledge to provide solutions to the problem is also a prominent characteristic of PBL and that students must take into consideration knowledge from various disciplines, subjects and topics.…”

Penerapan Project Based Learning Berbantuan Teknologi Informasi Dan Komunikasi Untuk Meningkatkan Kompetensi Kewirausahaan

“…Salah satu upaya yang perlu dilakukan ialah mengembangkan kemampuan mahasiswa dalam higher order thinking skill (HOTS) yang menjadi dasar untuk pengembangan kompetensi profesional (Brad Hokanson, 2018;Jonathan Haber, 2020). Selain kemampuan berpikir, perlu juga memanfaatkan teknologi informasi dan komunikasi sesuai tuntutan dunia usaha (Siti Martiah, 2017), dan penugasan melalui pembelajaran berbasis projek perlu dilakukan untuk mengembangkan higher order thinking skills sebagaimana dibuktikan dari penelitian Ellingsen et al (2021).…”

“…Untuk itu dibutuhkan pula metode pembelajaran yang tepat sesuai dengan kompetensi hasil belajar yang akan dicapai (John Almarode & Kara Vandas, 2018). Salah satu metode yang tepat untuk itu ialah metode team based project (Ellingsen et al, 2021). Team based project merupakan metode yang memberikan kegiatan belajar dan penugasan nyata berbasis proyek sebagai tantangan bagi mahasiswa untuk dipecahkan secara berkelompok (Picard et al, 2022).…”

Characterizing Team Orientations and Academic Performance in Cooperative Project-Based Learning Environments

“…Project-based learning (PBL) is a collaborative and interactive instructional approach that allows students to engage actively in the classroom [35,36]. Prior studies [37][38][39] have identified that PBL has proved to be an effective strategy for promoting teamwork skills in the classroom [40]. PBL motivates students to think critically and improves knowledge construction [41].…”