Effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning In Engineering Education: A Comparative Study on Three Levels of Knowledge Structure

摘要

The effectiveness of problem-based learning is still a matter of debate in higher education. A previous meta-analysis introduced a distinction between three levels of knowledge structure to be assessed (understanding of concepts, understanding of principles, and application of these concepts and principles) and showed that, in medical education, problem-based learning only significantly outperformed conventional learning on the 'understanding of principles' component. The purpose of this study is to compare the understanding of concepts, understanding of principles, and application of knowledge among engineering students before and after the introduction of a problem- and project-based curriculum (PBL). To achieve this, four cohorts of students (total N = 385), two of which had followed a lecture-based curriculum and two a PBL curriculum, completed a criterion-referenced test assessing the three levels of knowledge structure. It was found that students from the PBL curriculum outperformed students from the conventional curriculum, particularly on the application of knowledge. In conclusion, these results indicate that PBL can be effective in engineering education, but bring into question the generalizability of findings from medical education to other curricula in higher education (especially when a project-based learning component is added).