Abstract:

“The world runs on projects, managing and leading projects are essential life skills, learning skills and career skills” [1]. Although, most of the education systems have not evolved actual curricular material or pedagogical methods that will maximally prepare students for their current and future world [2]. Consequently, the gap between the skills students learn and needed skills in the real world is becoming more obvious.

Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) and Project-Based Learning (PBL) among others are innovative pedagogical approaches fostering a multitude of critical strategies for success in the twenty-first century [3].

Besides, the use of learning management systems (LMS) is constantly growing, but they usually do not operate in an interactive and personalized way. LMS provide the same pedagogical resources for all the students, without considering their specific individual needs [4].

The usage of LMS as Student-Centered Learning Environments (SCLE) could have potential to serve as fun and inspiring workshop settings, where students would engage in exciting PBL activities. It is also challenging students to gain a richer understanding of learning processes in a more situated and relatable way [2].

For this purpose, we proposed an integrated theoretical framework in order to guide higher education students to approach curricular units in form of PBL, with the aim of preparing them as future project managers. The framework defines a set of general requirements (dimensions, components, actors and context), based on a theoretical model of SRL/PBL and operating according to a functional architecture. This latter is to be fitting within SCLE and benefiting from educational digital tools such as Learning Analytics, Gamification, and Portfolio among others.

The architecture describes the chain of several PBL activities to carry out. It is multidimensional, cyclical and takes place in three phases: Forethought, Performance and Reflection. Each phase is a dynamic and reciprocal series of the individual and collective activities of tools, strategies and outcomes.

This paper proposes a design of a case study of the proposed theoretical framework, both as a teaching method and a research tool. The case is conducted compliant with the framework’s functional architecture and implemented within the platform Moodle. The implementation within Moodle is made in accordance with an equivalence grid between the architecture components (phase, activities, strategies, tools, outcomes, check-points…) and a set of basics features offered by Moodle among some others free additional plugins. Likewise, relations between different activities are established by assigning to each case a “competencies framework” and personalized “learning plans”…
Finally, this study is the basis of an ongoing work, in order to refine the proposed theoretical. In other words, concluded analysis of the case studies implementation are presented not exclusively as statistical results, but with accompanying explanations of their meaning in relation to the preliminary assumptions. In that way, both the technical requirements and the informational needs are met.

References:
[1] Fuson, ‘Overview - PM Toolkit’, PM Primer for Community Conversation.
[2] Chu and al., In 21st Century Skills Development Through Inquiry-Based Learning, 2017.
[3] S. Bell, ‘Project-based learning for the 21st century: Skills for the future’, 2010.
[4] Palomino and al. ‘An intelligent LMS model based on ITS’.

Keywords:

Case study, student-centered learning environment, self-regulated learning, project-based learning, higher education, educational tools, moodle.