Student Long-Term Perception of Project-Based Learning in Civil Engineering Education: An 18-Year Ex-Post Assessment

Abstract

In 1998, the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) began to offer a 5-year civil engineering degree that, in the Spanish context, contained an innovative teaching model, which was characterized by a reduced number of students and project-based learning (PjBL) included in the curriculum. Now, 15 years after the graduation of the first civil engineers from the UCLM, graduates were given a questionnaire to evaluate the extent by which the advantages described in the PjBL literature were perceived as such by these graduates. As a result of chain-referrals and in order to cross-reference the results, a parallel questionnaire was given to their work colleagues. The survey revealed how the development of PjBL-related abilities and skills were appreciated by UCLM graduates, such as the ability to work in groups, communication/debate skills, and leadership. The engineers were generally satisfied with their theoretical and practical learning due to the high demands required of engineering undergraduates in Spanish universities. Those that had worked with PjBL, in addition to developing the skills and abilities indicated above, also considered their learning to be more effective and with a better result-to-effort ratio.

Sustainable Civil Engineering: Incorporating Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education Curricula

“…Similar beneficial outcomes were observed in other disciplines in high education, such as active student participation, foster contact with reality, an increased perception of the acquisition of generic and specific skills associated with the subject, and confidence in problem-solving [42][43][44]. More specifically, a study conducted with civil engineers 15 years after graduation revealed that PBL-related abilities developed at the university (ability to work in groups, communication/debate skills, and leadership) were appreciated by students who followed PBL methodology and considered their learning to be more effective and with a better result-to-effort ratio than those who did not [45].…”

An Action Research on the Long-Term Implementation of an Engineering-centered PjBL of Sustainable Energy in a Rural Middle School

“…PjBL has become one of the most widely adopted innovative teaching strategies for facing future challenges [10]. Mills and Treagust [11] pointed out that PjBL is the teaching strategy centered around students and focuses on interdisciplinary comprehension and application.…”

An Action Research on the Long-Term Implementation of an Engineering-Centered PjBL of Sustainable Energy in a Rural Middle School

“…PjBL has become one of the most widely adopted innovative teaching strategies for facing future challenges [10]. Mills and Treagust [11] pointed out that PjBL is a teaching strategy centred around students and focuses on interdisciplinary comprehension and application.…”