Engineering Education, Is Problem-Based or Project-Based Learning the Answer

Abstract

The dominant pedagogy for engineering education still remains "chalk and talk", despite the large body of education research that demonstrates its ineffectiveness. In recent years, the engineering profession and the bodies responsible for accrediting engineering programs have called for change. This paper discusses the application of problem-based and project-based learning to engineering education, examines the difference between them. It reviews some examples of where they have been used to date and discusses the effectiveness and relevance of each method for engineering education.