10.4122/1.1000054444
Hugo, Ron
Ron
Hugo
hugo@ucalgary.ca
Brennan, Bob
Bob
Brennan
rbrennan@ucalgary.ca
Gu, Peihua
Peihua
Gu
pgu@ucalgary.ca
Lu, X
X
Lu
Quantifying the Efficiency of Project-Based Learning Experiences
7th International CONCEIVE DESIGN IMPLEMENT OPERATE Conference
2011
2011
The use of active learning, and specifically Project-Based Learning (PjBL) for
this paper, has been shown to be an effective means of increasing the
development of attributes that would otherwise be difficult to enhance in a
traditional engineering curriculum. Teamwork, interpersonal communication,
engineering economics, and dispute resolution are all examples of attributes
that can be developed and strengthened through the PjBL experience. The
utility of these dual-impact learning experiences is that they help strengthen
not only the hard-to-reach attributes but also the technical understanding of
the subject area that the PjBL experience relates to. Although there are many
positive aspects surrounding the PjBL experience, the fact remains that they
can be expensive to implement given the requirements for non-traditional
hardware and infrastructure and also the additional expenses for the materials
and supplies required for each project. Engineering educators and
administrators need to have a method of assessing how to balance the value of
enhanced learning outcomes with the additional financial investment. It is
with this in mind that this paper takes steps towards quantifying the
efficiency of the PjBL experience.