Best practices for your project-based learning platform

Best practices for your project-based learning platform

Project-based learning is a fantastic way to increase engagement, motivation, and knowledge retention in your classroom—and a project-based learning platform can make it even easier.

Keep reading to find out more about these platforms and how they can help you and your students.

What is project-based learning?

Project-based learning is a modern, student-focused pedagogy involving active exploration of real-world problems and challenges. It encourages learners to take knowledge and skills gained in the classroom and apply them to practical scenarios.

At their core, project-based learning activities must include a challenging question or problem, sustained inquiry, authenticity, a focus on student’s voice, reflection, feedback, and revision. PBL, then, is much more in-depth than simple class projects where students complete assignments, submit them, and receive a grade.

What is a project-based learning platform?

A project-based learning (PBL) platform is a dedicated space for managing, delivering, and analysing project-based learning experiences. It allows educators, students, higher education administrators, and employers to connect and create transformative learning experiences.

A good PBL platform will offer features such as:

  • Customisation
  • Feedback tools
  • Detailed analytics
  • Progress and performance tracking
  • Chat and collaboration tools
  • Activity trackers
  • Real-time notifications

These tools will allow you to see a 360-degree view of student progress, activity, and performance anytime, anywhere. You’ll also have access to comprehensive analytics to help you quickly find learners at-risk and supply tailored support.

Project-based learning benefits in higher education

So, now we’ve discussed the power of a dedicated project-based learning platform, let’s talk about why the approach is so powerful.

Under traditional educational approaches, students take in a great deal of knowledge and develop many skills, but they may not understand how their knowledge and skills apply to the real world. Without authentic connection and meaning, many students become unmotivated and disengaged.

That’s why PBL is a fantastic tool for driving stronger motivation and engagement. It helps students realise the meaning of their learning while providing them with a sense of agency and control.

Best practices for delivering project-based learning

If you’re keen to get started delivering PBL experiences in your classroom, here are some ideal practices to follow.

  1. Relevance

As we touched on above, PBL activities must always be relevant—both to current events and the student’s interests. Learners should be able to easily connect topics to the real world. That’s why it’s a smart idea to pick a timely issue or problem to focus on, such as the cost of living crisis or the impact of cars on our environment.

  1. Collaboration

PBL works best with teams, so always encourage your students to work together where possible. Collaboration opens up different perspectives and teaches students crucial skills for workplace success, such as how to delegate tasks and tackle disagreements.

  1. Student choice

Another essential element of PBL is student choice (or student voice). This means students have the freedom to choose their focus topic, how to go about the project, who to collaborate with, and how—of course, all under the guidance of their educators.

This approach drives motivation by allowing students to choose topics of personal interest that are relevant to their career goals.

To sum up

PBL is a proven way to engage your students and prepare them for success in the working world. We highly recommend investing in a dedicated platform to guarantee the best results for your learners.

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