Interdisciplinary Projects – Moving from Transfer to Transformation in Learning

In the PBL communities, we have always argued that the deep learning in the projects would compensate for the lack of knowledge from taught courses by the students’ ability to transfer knowledge to new areas. Within the disciplinary discourses, this has proved to be valid as the transfer of learning works within the same language and disciplinary thinking and the projects share similarities. However, we have learned that in an interdisciplinary context, where students are to transform their experiences from a disciplinary to an interdisciplinary context, the students do experience difficulties in leading and managing their projects. This keynote will be based on results from the research project funded by Poul Due Jensen Foundation on interdisciplinarity and problem- and project-based learning (PBL). Key concepts in interdisciplinary types of projects will be presented together with research findings on students learning experiences. These findings are leading to a discussion on transfer and transformation in engineering learning – both in terms of scientific knowledge and generic competencies. The main message is that in order to facilitate interdisciplinary and flexible learning, the engineering curricula needs to be built on a higher degree of transformation and variation

Estrategias para desarrollar currículos basados en la formulación de problemas y organizados en base a proyectos

Les estratègies per desenvolupar l'aprenentatge basat en la formulació d'una problemàtica i organitzat en base a un projecte (d'ara endavant PBL = problem based and project organised learning) tracten de canviar les estructures dels estudis, atès que els sistemes PBL són fonamentalment diferents de l'ensenyament tradicional de la universitat. No obstant això, els sistemes PBL també es diferencien entre si. En aquest article es discutirà la definició del sistema PBL com a sistema d'aprenentatge i com a model d'ensenyament. L'article també tractarà les estratègies de canvi a les quals les institucions poden recórrer si volen establir el sistema PBL en l'ensenyament.Strategies to develop problem based and project organized learning (from now on PBL) try to change the study structures, since PBL systems are fundamentally different from traditional university teaching. However, PBL systems also differ among them. In this article, we will discuss the definition of the PBL system as a learning system and as a teaching model. The article will also deal with change strategies to which institutions can resort to if they want to establish the PBL teaching system.Las estrategias para desarrollar aprendizajes basados en la formulación de una problemática y organizados en base a un proyecto (de ahora en adelante PBL = problem based and project organised learning) tratan de cambiar las estructuras de los estudios, puesto que los sistemas PBL son fundamentalmente distintos de la enseñanza tradicional universitaria. Sin embargo, los sistemas PBL también se distinguen entre sí. En este artículo se discute la definición del sistema PBL como sistema de aprendizaje y como modelo de enseñanza. El artículo también trata las estrategias de cambio a las que las instituciones pueden recurrir si quieren establecer el sistema PBL en la enseñanza

Premises for Changing to PBL

Although SoTL research provides results documenting the efficiency of problem-based and project-based learning, the process of change at the institutional levels all over the world is slow. Based on research and experience from the UNESCO Chair work all over the world, I point out seven premises for changing to PBL: governance and educational policy, research and political pragmatism, change at institutional and individual level, leadership, implementation, trust in students’ learning and global societies. These are premises at very different levels; however, in the global society they all play a role in the process of changing higher education. This essay places PBL in a SoTL framework of inquiry, research, application, and change, and explains that PBL is beneficial for students learning key skills