Project-based Learning, Explained

Project-based learning (PBL) is a type of active learning in which students gain knowledge, skills, and confidence by developing practical and meaningful solutions to real-world problems. In PBL, instructors guide rather than direct students. By engaging with authentic, open-ended questions that have no single “right” answer, students learn how to learn, as well as how to adapt their knowledge and skills to new and unexpected situations. Learning transferable skills in this way helps students build resiliency.

This type of hands-on learning or high-impact practice can occur at any education level, from elementary school to graduate studies. While many educational resources focus on PBL’s benefits for students, it’s important to note that the approach also provides powerful teaching opportunities for instructors.

Project-based learning is important because it teaches students how to learn, which ensures that the students will continue benefiting from a particular lesson or class long after the project or semester has concluded. Through project-based learning students gain skills and knowledge that they can apply to and rely on in other subject areas and situations, both inside and outside the classroom. This helps students develop resiliency throughout their academic years, personal lives, and future careers.

There are many words used to describe high-impact educational approaches, including “active learning,” “hands-on learning,” “inquiry-based learning,” “experiential learning,” “experiential education,” “problem-based learning,” and “practicum.” Not all of these are different types of project-based learning, but project-based learning can use any of these methods.

Each of these types of learning may have a slightly distinct pedagogical emphasis, and even if instructors or schools use the same name(s), they may implement the method in different ways. All of the approaches named above, however, are similar in their goal of having students take a more active role in their learning than a traditional “teacher teaching” or lecture format allows.

Many students may also do hands-on work during internships and/or co-op programs, but both of these methods are distinct from project-based learning in a few important ways. Co-ops traditionally give students ongoing and often full-time work experience for a set period of time. Students participating in a co-op are technically employees of the company or organization for the length of the co-op. On the other hand, even if PBL students work closely with a private corporation, public agency, or other community partner, they are not employed by that entity.

Internships also offer students direct work experience within an organization or company but tend to be more variable than co-ops. For example, internships can be full-time or part-time for a designated period, often the length of a term or semester. Interns tend to do assigned entry-level tasks that support larger teams or departments within an organization. Students engaged in project-based learning, on the other hand, often have more autonomy in designing their tasks and goals.

While there are no universally agreed upon distinctions between project- and problem-based learning, one way to understand the difference between project-based learning and problem-based learning has to do with the project’s size or duration. In problem-based learning the projects tend to be smaller and are designed to be started and completed in a set time period, which could be as short as one class meeting but often is longer—sometimes as long as a semester.

Projects used in project-based learning, on the other hand, tend to be more open-ended and with more variables. Some projects may be started and finished during a single semester, but the nature of project-based learning allows for more variation in both the length of time students spend working on a project and the results of their project work. It is not unusual, for example, for project-based learning students to finish the semester without finding a tidy “solution” or “answer” to the question they have explored.

Traditional classroom learning generally involves a teacher imparting knowledge to students in a physical classroom setting, though some details of the look and flavor inevitably change based on the age and abilities of the students. Lectures and seminars are both traditional learning structures in higher education settings: Typically a lecture involves a faculty member speaking to a group of students and a seminar involves a faculty member facilitating a discussion with students. While instructors can make either lectures or seminars interactive and/or interdisciplinary, by definition both approaches still depend on a teacher teaching.

By contrast, project-based learning places much more responsibility on the students, with instructors present to guide students and provide feedback rather than solely impart knowledge. Project-based learning challenges students to tackle open-ended questions that do not have a “correct” answer. Along the way, students make decisions, learn new topics, develop skills, and apply knowledge to real-world situations. Often these projects occur in teams, which further challenges students to develop effective communication skills and interpersonal dynamics.

Project-based learning is effective in large part because students are guided and supported, rather than directed, by instructors. This helps students learn how to think for themselves and solve problems, both of which are vital skills they will use throughout their lives in academic, professional, and personal settings. Additionally, the authenticity of the projects motivates students because the skills and knowledge they learn are tied to something real, something that matters. In turn, the combination of working on real-life problems and being responsible for figuring things out on their own helps students become more at ease with ambiguity and complexity.

There are many benefits of project-based learning for students, including that students have more control over their learning than they do in a traditional classroom setup. While working on the project, students often get to choose not only how they schedule their time but also what they spend their time doing. Complex, open-ended projects also give students opportunities to use their creativity and to draw on past experiences in ways that traditional classwork does not allow. In addition, working on teams toward a common goal helps students improve their interpersonal dynamic skills while strengthening their understanding of other perspectives.

When added together, the sum of these benefits is greater than the individual parts. This combination of experiences and skills prepares students to be resilient in today’s diverse and ever-changing world. In particular, students who participate in multiple project-based learning opportunities in college or graduate school are especially well-poised to be job-ready upon graduation—as well as career-resilient when faced with future economic changes.

The benefits of project-based learning are especially pronounced for women and girls. Research shows that hands-on projects help women and girls both see that they are capable of doing the given task(s) and believe that their ideas are valuable.

One of the biggest benefits of project-based learning for instructors is that the projects naturally result in more variety in student work. Likewise, because students working on meaningful projects are intrinsically more motivated, PBL instructors are often met with less boredom and disinterest than their colleagues teaching in traditional classrooms. The project structure also gives teachers and professors opportunities to learn about new topics and to use their own creativity as they guide students and offer feedback. Providing feedback and guidance instead of lecturing helps establish more of a give-and-take dynamic, which can lead to deeper and more meaningful connections between teachers and students.

Often multidisciplinary projects have more than one instructor, which gives faculty members opportunities to think outside their standard subject-matter box. This, in turn, can provide teachers and professors new learning opportunities of their own and may even lead to innovations. In addition, working with students to design projects and figuring out effective ways to assess students in nontraditional learning settings gives instructors valuable professional development opportunities.

All these benefits of project-based learning can help faculty stay engaged with their work and prevent burnout.

High-impact practices such as project-based learning require students to be more actively engaged in their own learning than they are in a traditional classroom setting. When students work on authentic projects, it helps remove the information being learned from the realm of the theoretical and makes it practical. Students see the information connected to real-world use, which makes it more memorable and therefore enhances learning.

What students gain from PBL is especially valuable for college students because they are exactly the skills that many employers are looking for, including teamwork; critical thinking; applying knowledge in real-world settings; digital literacy; problem solving; ethical judgment and reasoning; written communication; ability to locate, evaluate, and use information during the decision-making process; and working with people from different cultural backgrounds.

In addition, the real-world, hands-on experience of working on a project—often with off-campus community groups or corporations—can help smooth the transition to work after college. The combination of meeting deadlines while navigating unexpected challenges is what makes project-based learning especially effective at preparing college students to work in a variety of industries and helping to set them up for career success after college.

The PBL approach can be applied in a variety of ways at the college level, including:

• Capstones
• Community-engaged learning
• E-portfolios
• First-year seminars and experiences
• Interdisciplinary learning
• Learning communities
• Service learning

Likewise, project-based learning in higher education settings can be effective in a variety of disciplines—including arts, humanities, engineering, and social sciences—and in a range of settings—including medical schools, other graduate programs, community colleges, and minority-serving institutions.

At many colleges and universities, the faculty center for teaching and learning will likely play an important role implementing PBL methods, courses, and programs. Examples of support for faculty include summer stipends to redesign a course; funding to attend a PBL-related workshop or conference; mentoring programs that pair faculty who are new to project-based learning with more experienced colleagues; informal learning communities that meet regularly to share strategies and ideas; and events to share and celebrate innovative PBL approaches with colleagues.