Promoting assessment as learning in PBL: findings from blogs created by first year engineering students

Abstract

This paper aims to present findings from first year engineering students involved in a Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach developed within the first cycle degree of Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) – University of Minho, Portugal. Student assessment in PBL includes both formative and summative assessment, with a variety of different methods and purposes. One of the assessment methods in this PBL approach is the creation of a blog by each project team with the purpose of providing student reflection of their work on a regular basis. The blog allows students to share evidence of the project journey, with particular focus on the student’s learning process. This idea is aligned with the concept of assessment as learning, where students are able to learn about themselves as learners and take responsibility for their own learning and monitor future directions. Based on the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative results from an online survey applied to students and the content analysis of each of the blogs, it is possible to conclude that the assessment task was considered as a positive learning experience for students. Quantitative data from the questionnaire show that the blog was a positive educational tool useful for: i) the organization and dissemination of the project team; ii) the selection of the project content and organization; iii) keeping an up-to-date record of the project's progress; iv) encouraging writing about project content and other curiosities. The qualitative data based on the content analysis of the blogs revealed students’ capacity to reflect upon their journey, by critically analysing the feelings, achievements, fears, thoughts, and future plans, throughout the thirteen weeks of the project duration.