ERIC Number: EJ1328129
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Feb
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-4222
EISSN: N/A
Towards Blended Learning: Stakeholders' Perspectives on a Project-Based Integrated Curriculum in ICT Engineering Education
Industry and Higher Education, v36 n1 p74-85 Feb 2022
It is increasingly vital, in the current era of ever-expanding remote work and learning, to develop blended methods for engineering education. This research aims to develop a blended, project-based information and communication technology (ICT) education model, conceptualizing a digital ecosystem based on stakeholders' experiences and expectations. The article describes the first phase of the first cycle of the design-based research, analysis and exploration. Semi-structured interviews and online surveys were used to gather stakeholders' -- i.e. students' (N = 27), instructors' (N = 15) and industry representatives' (N = 3) -- thoughts and expectations about the current holistic integrated and project-based curriculum, on which little academic literature exists. The article gathers design principles for a broader intervention through which ICT education is transferred into blended learning. Study participants included third-year ICT engineering education students and instructors at the Lapland University of Applied Sciences, along with local industry representatives. The vast majority of the students described the integrated curriculum and project-based learning approach as a motivating pedagogical model. The participation of industry representatives was perceived as motivational to students. Working-life cooperation with companies should thus be encouraged and further developed in higher education curricula. The students' positive attitudes towards integrated project-based learning may inspire higher education institutions to apply this framework.
Descriptors: Blended Learning, Active Learning, Student Projects, Integrated Curriculum, Engineering Education, Information Technology, College Students, Student Attitudes, College Faculty, Teacher Attitudes, Employer Attitudes, Foreign Countries
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Finland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A