Introduction. The project-based approach into engineering training is an innovative education practice that exemplifies the UNESCO strategy for implementing such practices in education worldwide. The motivation of the study is justified by the fact that the implementation of project-based learning involves building a student learning trajectory, which meets demands for competitive specialists in the automotive industry. The research aimed to investigate opportunities for building students’ learning paths in correlation with the formal performance of the project-based learning model and to elicit issues for its improving.
Materials and methods. The study used analysis of previous research and formal performance indicators of the project activity at the Mechanical Engineering Center, where pilot engineering training was launched at Togliatti State University (TSU, Russian Federation). To collect empirical data, an online survey was administered among 118 engineering students (its reliability reached Cronbach’s alpha 0.84), and unstructured and focused interviews among student advisors and project supervisors were conducted. Methods of descriptive statistics and IBM SPSS Statistics 23 package were employed to process the obtained quantitative data.
Research results. Quantitative performance indicators of the model demonstrate overall positive dynamics in engineers’ training from 2017 to the present. The study discovered project satisfaction at the Mechanical Engineering Centre (74.1%) and the majority of students (71.9%) evaluate positively project opportunities. The correlation between the project role and the awareness of project opportunities was found (r = 0.23; p < 0.05): all student advisors considered project activity as an opportunity to develop their learning trajectory. However, 14.9% of participants did not consider such project prospects. The focused interview clarified reasons for this choice.
Conclusion. The study shows that the correlation between the positive dynamics of formal indicators and assessments of the opportunities of building an individual learning trajectory reveals the need to improve the introduced model in terms of finding the optimal balance between the number of projects and their quality. The study prospects include the formation of students’ readiness and internal motivation for participating in engineering projects. The TSU experience in evaluating the opportunities of forming students’ learning paths through project participation can be helpful for other Russian universities where project-based learning is implemented.
Keywords: engineering education, project-based learning, individual learning trajectory, “Formula Student at TSU”
For Reference: Bobrovskii, A. V., Bazhutina, M. M., Gorokhova, D. A., & Chizhatkina, E. D. (2024). The project-based learning model of training engineers: exploring opportunities for building an individual learning trajectory from the students’ and instructors’ perspectives. Perspektivy nauki i obrazovania – Perspectives of Science and Education, 69 (3), 179–191. doi: 10.32744/pse.2024.3.11
Information about the authors:
Alexander V. Bobrovskii (Russia, Togliatti) - Cand. Sci. (Engineering), Head of the Designing and Exploitation of Cars Department. Director of the Mechanical Engineering Center. Togliatti State University. E-mail: ba838@yandex.ru. ORCID ID: 0000-0002-3800-3560
Marina M. Bazhutina (Russia, Togliatti) - Cand. Sci. (Philology), Associate Professor in the Department of Theory and Practice of Translation. Togliatti State University. E-mail: kurs-veka21@yandex.ru. ORCID ID: 0000-0001-8471-995X
Daria A. Gorokhova (Russia, Togliatti) - Supervisor of the Formula Student at TSU project, Togliatti State University. E-mail: gorokhovada@yandex.ru. ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1452-509X
Ekaterina D. Chizhatkina (Russia, Togliatti) - Master student, Training Master in the Designing and Exploitation of Cars Department. Togliatti State University. E-mail: chizhatkina@mail.ru. ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7149-0340
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