Meta-assessment in a project-based systems engineering course

Promoting critical thinking in an online, project-based course

“…Furthermore, project-based learning provides substantial support for the teaching and learning of science and engineering ( Usher & Barak, 2018 ), while also being an excellent way of introducing students to the life of an Engineer ( Lantada et al, 2013 ). Because of this, cornerstone courses are usually taught through project-based learning, which promotes critical thinking and provides students with a space to express their views ( Wengrowicz et al, 2017 ).…”

“…Project-based learning is one educational methodology that improves communication skills and promotes critical thinking ( Wengrowicz et al, 2017 ). It promotes learning based on real-life projects ( Dilekli, 2020 , p. p53), while motivating students; helping improve their problem-solving and argumentation skills, and encouraging them to broaden their minds ( Velez & Power, 2020 ).…”

“…It promotes learning based on real-life projects ( Dilekli, 2020 , p. p53), while motivating students; helping improve their problem-solving and argumentation skills, and encouraging them to broaden their minds ( Velez & Power, 2020 ). This involves working autonomously in teams to tackle open-ended problems, from the research phase through to developing a final product ( Usher & Barak, 2018 ), thus boosting their intellectual development ( Wengrowicz et al, 2017 ). Project-based learning enhances collaboration ( McManus & Costello, 2019 ), allowing students not only to learn from themselves but also from each other ( Hernández et al, 2018 ).…”

Teaching Human-centered Design to Engineers: Continuous Improvement in a Cornerstone Course

“…This type of course is usually taught using project-based learning (PBL) methodology, which introduces students at early stages to ill-structured problems. PBL methodology has proven to have several benefits for students by enabling them to generate original opinions and express individual standpoints, improve their active participation in self-learning processes, enhance communication skills, and promote critical thinking [2]. In the learning context of PBL, students develop authentic questions for problems that are situated within real-world practices [3], which leads to meaningful learning experiences [4].…”

“…Wengrowicz, Dori, and Dori [2] argue that PBL courses, with a large number of participants, are challenging because they require students to be engaged and professors to be able to advise, monitor, and evaluate students' team performance. Since these types of courses are so beneficial there is a need to create guidelines for deploying cornerstone courses.…”