Abstract:

Industry and the educational community both recognize the critical importance of introducing project activities for engineering students as early as possible. However, the implementation of project-based learning for freshmen students faces a contradiction between the initial demand for students experienced in project-based activities, and the substantial lack of such activities in the first year of engineering programs. It is desirable to associate project experience building for freshmen students with their interest in studying Natural Science courses, which dominate the first year of the curricula. Therefore the effectiveness of the introductory project-based learning stage stresses the problem of increasing students' motivation for studying Natural Science. The authors propose an approach that builds up on the content of engineering programs in junior years utilizing both STEM and Project-based Learning (PBL) technologies. The approach is considered as a way to stress interdisciplinarity of Natural Science courses using STEM framework within the broader context of problem-solving teamwork activities as seen by PBL. The paper describes a modular structure of the educational process based on STEM PBL. The STEM Modules utilize the core principle of gradual learning by developing a transition from solving multidisciplinary procedural-type problems of Natural Science to finally undertaking a full-cycle engineering project, which is designed for small teams and requires knowledge of Natural Science. The authors carried out a comparative analysis of the impact of STEM Modules on freshmen students’ overall learning behaviour activity. The increase in students' motivation to study Natural Science was demonstrated with an overall growth of their initiative to participate in various events and student contests in science, engineering, and projects held within the SibFU and other universities as well. Reflective sessions organized for students after completing each STEM Module showed significant qualitative changes in motivation components. The change featured the transition of some external motives for doing project activities into internal ones. The proposed joint use of STEM and PBL in the first year of engineering curricula showed the effectiveness by using the content of Natural Science to framework the introductory engineering experience for freshmen students. In addition, this kind of experience allows students to mentor other junior-year student teams, demonstrating a natural flow of successful practices within the student community.

Keywords:

STEM, Engineering Education, Modular Curriculum, Project-based Learning, PBL, Natural Science.