Using Project-Based Learning to Develop Unassessed Interpersonal and v2
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The document discusses using project-based learning to develop unassessed interpersonal and social professional skills in university students. It notes that employers are concerned about deficiencies in these types of skills among entry-level employees. Studies show that skills like critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration and leadership are important to employers but are not fully developed through traditional assessments. Project-based learning has been shown to help students improve skills like initiative, adaptability, accessing information, curiosity and imagination that are valuable to employers but difficult to measure with exams.
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- 1. Using Project-Based Learning to Develop Unassessed Interpersonal and Social Professional Skills University of Cincinnati 1
- 2. 2 Skills Developed Through Project-Based Learning http://ali.apple.com/acot2/global/images/diagram_6_principles.jpg
- 3. The Need for Professional Skills 3 https://content.dodea.edu/VS/21st_century/web/21/21_skills.html
- 4. Employersare concerned about the social and interpersonal skills DEFICIENCIES entry-levels employeespossess 4
- 5. 5 What the Numbers Tell Us Study Conducted by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Survey of Architecture Firms Critical Thinking and Problem Solving 97% 89% Leadership 73% 89% Communications Skills 81 % 93%
- 17. References • Bybee, R. W. (2013). The case for STEM education: Challenges and opportunities. Arlington: NSTA Press. • Casner-Lotto, J. & Barrington, L. (2006). Are they ready to work” Employers’ perspectives on the basic knowledge and applied skills of new entrants to the 21st century U.S. workforce. United States: conference Board: Partnership for 21st Century Skills: corporate Voices for Working Families: Society for Human Resource Management. Retrieved from: http://files.efic.ed.gov/fulltext/ED519465.pdf • Cassidy, S. (2006). Developing employability skills: Peer assessment in higher education. Education & Training, 48(7), 508-517. doi: 10.1108/00400910610705890 • Dunlap, J. C. (2005). Changes in students' use of lifelong learning skills during a problem-based learning project. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 18(1), 5-33. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/218525708?accountid=2909 • IBM. (2010). Capitalizing on complexity. Rochester: IBM. • Johnson, C. S. Delawsky, S. (2013). Project-based learning and student engagement. Academic Research International, 4(4). 560-570. Retrieved from: http://www.journals.savap.org.pk • Pinto, M., Doucet, A. & Fernandez-Ramos, A. (2010). Measuring students information skills through concept mapping. Journal of Information Science, 36, 464-474. • Lievens, F. & Sackett, P.R. (2012). The validity of interpersonal skills via situational judgement tests for predicting academic success and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(2). 460-468. doi: 10.1037/a002574 • Mills, J. E. & Treagust, D. F. (2003). Engineering education--is problem-based or project-based learning the answer? Australian Journal of Engineering Education, 1-16. Retrieved from http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=project+based+learning&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ei=- DswVMqrNITTigLsyYCoBQ&sqi=2&pjf=1&ved=0CBsQgQMwAA • Murphy, P. & McCormick, R. (1997). Problem solving in science and technology education. Research in Science Education, 27(3), 461-481. • Pinto, M., Doucet, A. & Fernandez-Ramos, A. (2010). Measuring students information skills through concept mapping. Journal of Information Science, 36, 464-474. • Singer, S. R., Hilton, M. R. & Schweingruber, H. A. (2006). America’s lab report: Investigations in high school science. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press • Takaya, K. (2009). How to develop student's imaginations. The Journal of Educational Thought, 43(1), 79-86. • Wagner, T. (2008). The global achievement gap. New York: Basic Books. • Wood, D. F. (2003). Problem based learning. British Medical Journal, 326, 328-330. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1125189/ 17
Editor's Notes
- I have recently accepted the challenge of starting a new program at a new school in my school district in Arizona, called the MET Professional Academy. This is a new school designed to help students the social and interpersonal professional skills, also called soft skills or 21st century skills, while following their passions. Currently the strands include medical technologies, engineering and entrepreneurialism, and computer network technologies, with plans to add strands in global business, environmental science, and food sciences. I am the engineering and entrepreneurialism instructor and will be utilizing problem-based learning and corporate mentors to achieve the goals of the program.
- Project-based learning offers a lot of benefits to students that are beyond the scope of this presentation. Project based learning or PBL uses real world problems to offer relevance while developing theoretical knowledge and applicable professional skills. Students gain a sense of ownership in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative environment. In order to arrive at the project’s outcome students need to research, communicate and innovate. Project-based learning and problem-based learning are often used interchangeably as case-based learning. They are similar but different forms of anchored instruction. Both are based on ambiguous situations, however project-based learning typically requires a product where problem-based learning looks for a solution. I believe that problem-based learning is embedded within project based learning, but project-based learning is not embedded within problem based learning. I believe this is because during the course of a well crafted project, many problems will arise that the students will need to learn how to solve. Project-based learning allows students to take ownership of their projects, empowering students a creating a sense of that their work will make a meaningful difference while developing important skills. Students apply what they already know with what is learned throughout the project, providing students with new understanding
- The professional skills I focused on are based The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner. In his book, Mr. Wagner explains entry-level employees who are recent graduates from high school or college lack critical thinking and problem solving skills, the ability to collaborate on the same project in person or from different locations, lead through influence rather than command, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurship, effective communications, the ability to effectively access and analyze information, and curiosity and imagination. All of which are needed for innovation and a strong national economy. What is interesting, the one thing each of these characteristics have in common is that they are all tied to life-long learning.
- The American education system is designed to generate workers with a production mentality as was needed during the Industrial Revolution. Lievens and Sackett suggest these soft skills are not explicitly taught due to standards and curriculum constraints, time constraints and the difficulty in assessment. One thing Wagner makes clear is that all of the skills involve working with others in order to achieve a common goal.
- Two separate surveys, the first reported in 2006 and the second reported in 2015. The first survey had 431 respondents from multiple business and industrial sectors, the second is from 65 responding architecture firms. The first survey is an aggregate of graduates from high school, 2 year colleges and 4 year colleges. The numbers are cut approximately in half when only 4 year college graduates are considered. In the architecture survey, all of the entry-level employees are college graduates. While I could not find any other discipline specific research, I believe it would be worthwhile to conduct this research across multiple business and industrial sectors to determine if entry-level workers in some specialties are better than others and then try to determine why.
- Singer, Hilton and Schweingruber define critical thinking as the “intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and/or evaluating information gather from, or generated by, observation, experiences, reflection, reasoning or communications as a guide to believe and act on.” This requires recognizing personal biases and assumed answers, impartially consider arguments, and determine the best course of action based upon available information. Critical thinking requires asking deeper questions and a willingness to change directions or start over if the questions. This is very important to employers because a company cannot be successful if it cannot effectively evaluate opportunities and challenges. Project-based learning, with some coaching, helps students to learn new approaches to problem solving. With the freedom students have in PBL, it allows them to ask questions about the project in a manner that is relative to their personal interests. Wood asserts that as students begin to question what they know, as well as new information and the sources it comes from, they begin to learn critical thinking. Questioning how they know what they know, and how does it relate and apply to the problem at hand.
- Employers desire employees who can offer solutions not ask for solutions. One of the failings of entry-level employees is the belief there is a single solution or solution path for every problem. Project based learning provides students with the opportunity to experience exploring multiple plausible solutions for a problem. Talk about oil extraction project and possible solutions and outcomes. Problem solving goes hand in hand with critical thinking, and PBL helps students develop their problem solving skills. One of the essential parts of problem solving, many students miss, is the necessity of iteration. The first solution may be good, but is it the best solution? And in the case of real-world problems, there are many possible solution paths and solutions, particularly when you consider even similar problems are unique in detail, and therefore need a solution that resolves the details…there is no one size fits all solution to problems that are encountered outside of the traditional classroom. In addition, PBL helps students begin to understand that a failed effort is not failure, but merely a building block to the successful outcome of a problem or project. PBL supports experimentation, following new questions, sometimes to abandon them. In one recent study, 15 grad students, from different degree programs and not working with each other on any projects, but engaged with PBL, reported a 10% increase in their problem solving skills over the 6 month study
- Collaboration has been defined as the ability of team members to wo work on the same project at the same time, whether they are together or apart (Wagner). It is important to recognize that project based learning should help student teams use and celebrate the strengths of each member while improving individual weaknesses. (give example). The difference between typical group based projects and team based projects is collaboration; in group based projects each person in the group tends to do everything, then as a group decide who did the best on each part and then put it together the final project, which while it may be good has a lot of room available for improvement. In team work, each team member is accountable because they are responsible for a specific part of the final project; as a result they need to be knowledgeable in all parts of the part project focus on a single part, the result is that the learn and grow by sharing new ideas and learnings with their teammates, applying what they learn from others to their focus area, which is peer reviewed and criticized by the team to produce the best possible project deliverable (which will likely be able to be improved upon at a higher level). PBL develops the social skills of cooperation, communication and the ability to try again when one doesn’t succeed. During a project, students in a PBL environment need to work together, establish common ground, and negotiate disagreements in order to come to a consensus that will likely produce the best outcome for the project. As problems arise or new information is presented to the team, it may become a community of inquiry where ideas are shared and developed. An important aspect of project-based learning, like career based projects, is that students will need to be accountable to the team and responsible for getting their work done when the team is together and when they are not. This may mean privately researching something, working through email, texting or Skype.
- Today’s business models are moving towards a horizontal leadership style, meaning there are fewer layers of management, empowering more employees to make decisions and drive change. This means employees need to lead through charisma, ideas and persuasion. As a result, leaders on a project may change throughout the life of the project. Project-based learning helps develop this skill; each team member is going to become expert in a particular area or areas of the project and will need to negotiate with the rest of the team in order to respond to challenges and questions because each contribution will challenge the beliefs and ideas of every other area of expertise. A survey of 431 employers found that 86% of high school graduates, 74% of graduates from 2 year colleges, and 54% of graduates from 4 year colleges need to learn how to lead their peers without a title. Project –based learning provides the opportunity for students to learn to persuade individuals and groups while listening for responses from them. PBL develops leadership skills among peers. A team member who is passionate about a particular idea, and can respectfully demonstrate that passion to the reset of the team, while producing evidence, is likely to have the ideas considered and maybe attempted by part of the team. A big part of leadership through influence is the development of communications skills and conflict resolution. As the project progresses, team members are going to disagree, they will need to negotiate resolutions, and an influential leader can help guide that compassion and understanding of all sides, helping to guide the team over the hurdle and into the next challenge. In project based learning, it is likely the influential leader will change as the project progresses.
- Employers need workers who are able to face challenges and navigate their way through these challenges. These challenges may be new processes, new technology or changes in upper management. Agility includes flexibility and creativity, particularly with the amount of change todays industries and businesses face, resulting in a need for life long learners. Project-based learning requires students to reflect on the problems presented within the project. This requires students to accept new learning as it applies to the project, respect past learning while acknowledging and overcoming biases, and as Murphy and McCormick tell us, project based learning is the place where solutions are on ongoing, active, flexible and inventive; problems and solutions are transformed and abandoned and solutions are developed that create dilemmas. In the workplace and in PBL there is a need to actively seek new solutions in every phase of the project to solve the problems that hinder deliverance of the final product. This may be creating a new process, using new technology or even creating new technology. Talk about the sensor-chair.
- Where agility describes the ability to accept and react to change, adaptability describes the ability to embrace change. Every profession has change, it can be a new vice president in a corporation or a new principal at a school, they have new initiatives, goals and ideas, or peers and team members who have different work styles than you do. An agile employee can go through the motions without truly embracing and helping to drive implementation of the new vision, technology, or goals. Adaptability describes the willingness to apply the new ideas and technology in a purposeful and meaningful manner. Adaptability requires being a life long learner, because learning takes place at and through work regardless of title or position. Project based learning teaches students to adapt to incorporate different ideas and approaches to producing the solutions and products. Dunlap points out that students who learn in a PBL environment learn the ability to incorporate new ideas and information in order to produce the best results possible…this is by participating in the change of ideas rather than arguing, resisting or just accepting them. As students gain ownership over all aspects of the project, they are open to learning and adapting new knowledge and understandings in order to apply it to the problems that arise within the project.
- Entrepreneurialism and initiative are inseparable. Entrepreneurialism describes the ability to recognize opportunities to modify and improve products and processes, a characteristic businesses and industry desire in their employees because it inspires others, and more importantly improves the bottom line.. Initiative is the willingness to act on the opportunities, whether internal to a company or industry or as an individual venture. The literature strongly suggests business and industry desire employees who exhibit these characteristics, but there is currently little research to back this up. People with initiative and an entrepreneurial spirit are the innovators; these are the people who are comfortable with the uncomfortable and ae willing to approach problems from unique perspectives. In PBL, opportunities to develop these skills when problems arise that none of the team members know how to address. This requires learning a new skill or process. Because initiative and entrepreneurialism are action oriented, it helps students learn that short term failure is only a hurdle in the way of the final product and success. Learning these skills through PBL will create a willingness to take risks first as a student and later as an employee who drives change and improvement. When students need how to do something, they will typically ask to be shown how to do it. What happens in a project when there are no experts in the room? They need to learn it on their own, and they become the experts. A recent study of 519 graduate students enrolled in a PBL based entrepreneurial class claim to have improved their initiative skills by 46% as a result of the freedom they were allowed during their projects, that is they are willing to try and solve problems without being directed to. The freedom allotted to students in PBL provide an environment in which the students can be self-regulated and autonomous, determining the amount of time an effort to be used in each phase of the project, resulting in new processes, products and outcomes throughout the project. The development of these new processes, products and outcomes is entrepreneurialism.
- Strong communication skills transcend all of the social and interpersonal skills that are desired in all employees, in every business, but are often lacking in entry level workers. Effective communication requires writing emails, memos, texts, letters and reports clearly and effectively, professional and casual conversation, speaking on the telephone and public speaking. Mills and Treagust point out that today’s entry level employees lack communications experience resulting in the inability to negotiate or properly represent their organization. This raises a question, how many opportunities are missed because a worker, regardless of sector, cannot effectively communicate an idea or respond effectively to questions? Well structured PBL projects require students to effectively communicate with their team, provide progress reports to their teachers and to present or pitch their product to their peers and/or mentors. This requires students to be precise and concise in presenting ideas, background and the development process of their product in terms that the entire audience can understand. PBL requires effectual communication is fundamental for collaboration and demonstrates the leadership ability and adaptability of each of the team members. Developing this skill while in high school or college will allow the students to provide immediate benefit to their employers.
- There is evidence, though more research is needed, that people entering the professional workplace lack informational literacy. This is because there is a plethora of information in the digital age that is available at our fingertips. This vast amount of information creates challenges for business and industry because it is necessary to determine not only what information is accurate and from a credible source, but in determining what information is of value for a given situation. Too many recent high school and college graduates trust software and internet search results without questioning them resulting in erroneous conclusions to queries. Most of today’s students use technology on an almost daily basis, though mostly for social media and texting, they also access information and are overwhelmed with the magnitude of varying and conflicting varieties available. PBL provides students the opportunity to learn how to narrow searches and develop non-routine problem solving skills by examining broad spans of information and determining what is useful for their project and what is not. The requirement of accessing and analyzing information in PBL helps students become critical users of information and use that are able apply it in order to creatively solve problems and develop solutions to problems. The literature suggests that PBL may be very valuable in helping students develop informational literacy, but there is very little research to back this claim up.
- Curiosity is simply asking questions about things we don’t know or don’t understand, and yet are interested in. Imagination is considering all of the possible answers to the questions that are being asked. Combining curiosity and imagination and putting them into action is creativity. The new ideas that result from curiosity and imagination are the drivers of innovation and commerce. In a 2010 survey conducted by IBM of 1541 chief executive officers in 66 countries and 33 industries, creativity was considered the single most important characteristic for a person to have when it comes to problem solving, adaptability leadership. Bybee describes creativity as the ability to take risks, identify and articulate problems, a tolerance of ambiguity (in the sense that the problem may not yet be well defined), and the application of knowledge from several disciplines. In PBL, students are encouraged to ask “what if” questions. These questions develop into “how might we…” questions, which leads to imagining the possibilities. When imagining possibilities, creative solution possibilities arise that are unique and innovative. A recent study of 519 graduate students enrolled in a PBL entrepreneurial class reported a 53% increase in creativity as a result of the freedom they were allowed when working on their project. Discuss nuclear energy project.
- At the MET Professional Academy, it is our intention to help students develop the social and interpersonal professional skills discussed in this presentation. High school students will work in areas that interest them, on projects either developed as teams or provided by industry partners and mentors in a PBL based environment. Instead of traditional lectures, my classes will meet in a conference and we will discuss one aspect of one professional skill per day, to allow them time to start using it (it is important to mention that these classes are 3 hours long, every day). Because I am not expert in every, or even most, of the fields being represented by our industry partners, I am going to act more as a mentor and coach than teacher. In fact, I will only be teaching the portions of the class each week associated with dual enrollment for the students. In this learning environment, students will need to modify work habits and mindsets in order to best meet the goals of their team and those of the industry partners/clients. This is intended to mirror the work environment, where teams need to work with continual change. When working on projects, students will need to collaborate and negotiate; individuals will need to lead during various phases of their projects, teams will need to effectively communicate internally, with industry partners and with me. In addition, they will need to be able to publically present progress updates and their final product (I intend to have them demonstrate their final products at the Southwest Maker Faire). They need to find usable information to help them make informed decisions. They need to come up with innovative solutions to the challenges they face. These skills are nearly impossible to quantify, therefore the intent is to assess each student holistically against their personal growth, as opposed to against a norm. I intend to meet with each student individually 4 times a year and conduct an employee evaluation, allowing them to provide their own assessment of their growth, share my assessment of their growth, and have them let me know how I can do better. There is a lot of research on project-based learning as it applies to standardized test scores and student achievement. There is very little in the area of developing social and interpersonal professional skills. I believe it would be beneficial for a longitudinal study to be performed on student growth, both in academic skills and social and interpersonal professional skills. This study should begin with students grade school, coming from varying socio-economic backgrounds, aptitude levels and interests. It should follow these students until through their first year of work as it is related to their education. I understand this is a big undertaking, but I believe it would demonstrate the power of PBL in student growth both academically and professionally.