Some online programs use projects to give students constant feedback and help them master specific skills.
Project-based learning is more often used in K-12 education but has just started being incorporated into universities, including online classes.
For online students looking to develop a specific set of skills, or competencies, project-based learning might be the way to go.
Some online programs and classes offered through colleges and universities, as well as companies like Udacity, allow students to demonstrate their knowledge of a subject through the creation of large products instead of taking exams in some cases.
Programs and courses vary on how and to what extent they incorporate project-based learning and assessment into curriculums, experts say. But often, this form of education involves constant feedback from an instructor and may allow for multiple attempts if a student initially falls short of meeting certain criteria.
John Orlando, associate director of faculty support at Northcentral University, a for-profit, regionally accredited online university, says project-based learning "begins on the student end," meaning students discover the information they need to complete the project as their work progresses.
"It's slowly growing, but hopefully slowly but surely," says Orlando. "I think it requires a fundamentally different mindset from professors."
At the online College for America at Southern New Hampshire University, project-based learning is the core of students' educations. The institution offers online associate and bachelor's degree programs.
Students can start College for America on the first of any month, and they complete scenario-based projects, receiving feedback as needed to improve, says Cathrael Kazin, chief academic officer of College for America. Reviewers ultimately determine whether students' work meets rubric requirements and illustrates mastery of predefined competencies.
"We think that projects are a more authentic and more useful way to see whether people have the competencies they need, and also to help them develop competencies they may not have yet," Kazin says.
Another example is Udacity, which offers affordable online programming and technology courses. The company enables learners to earn what are called "nanodegrees," where students develop several projects over about six to 12 months with the guidance of instructors on video, and can receive regular feedback from live coaches, says Stuart Frye, Udacity's vice president of content. They ultimately turn in a stand-alone final product for evaluation.
These projects range from building a portfolio of their work from scratch to creating an Android app, depending on the nanodegree program.
"Project-based learning provides an excellent opportunity to have that hands-on, learn-by-doing approach within the context of the subject areas we focus on," Frye says, adding that these projects can later be used in portfolios when applying to jobs.
With project-based learning, experts say, students' knowledge grows simultaneously to their products. Kerry Rice, a professor of educational technology at Boise State University, teaches a master's-level online class on advanced online teaching methods that uses a project-based philosophy.
"I am constantly providing feedback as they're progressing through development," she says of the student projects. "It's very instructor-intensive in that respect, and very personal to each student."
Experts say this consistent feedback is also advantageous to students. This was true for Brenda Anderson, who earned an associate's degree from College for America and is now pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Some online programs and classes offered through colleges and universities, as well as companies like Udacity, allow students to demonstrate their knowledge of a subject through the creation of large products instead of taking exams in some cases.
Programs and courses vary on how and to what extent they incorporate project-based learning and assessment into curriculums, experts say. But often, this form of education involves constant feedback from an instructor and may allow for multiple attempts if a student initially falls short of meeting certain criteria.
John Orlando, associate director of faculty support at Northcentral University, a for-profit, regionally accredited online university, says project-based learning "begins on the student end," meaning students discover the information they need to complete the project as their work progresses.
"It's slowly growing, but hopefully slowly but surely," says Orlando. "I think it requires a fundamentally different mindset from professors."
At the online College for America at Southern New Hampshire University, project-based learning is the core of students' educations. The institution offers online associate and bachelor's degree programs.
Students can start College for America on the first of any month, and they complete scenario-based projects, receiving feedback as needed to improve, says Cathrael Kazin, chief academic officer of College for America. Reviewers ultimately determine whether students' work meets rubric requirements and illustrates mastery of predefined competencies.
"We think that projects are a more authentic and more useful way to see whether people have the competencies they need, and also to help them develop competencies they may not have yet," Kazin says.
Another example is Udacity, which offers affordable online programming and technology courses. The company enables learners to earn what are called "nanodegrees," where students develop several projects over about six to 12 months with the guidance of instructors on video, and can receive regular feedback from live coaches, says Stuart Frye, Udacity's vice president of content. They ultimately turn in a stand-alone final product for evaluation.
These projects range from building a portfolio of their work from scratch to creating an Android app, depending on the nanodegree program.
"Project-based learning provides an excellent opportunity to have that hands-on, learn-by-doing approach within the context of the subject areas we focus on," Frye says, adding that these projects can later be used in portfolios when applying to jobs.
With project-based learning, experts say, students' knowledge grows simultaneously to their products. Kerry Rice, a professor of educational technology at Boise State University, teaches a master's-level online class on advanced online teaching methods that uses a project-based philosophy.
"I am constantly providing feedback as they're progressing through development," she says of the student projects. "It's very instructor-intensive in that respect, and very personal to each student."
Experts say this consistent feedback is also advantageous to students. This was true for Brenda Anderson, who earned an associate's degree from College for America and is now pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Among several other projects she has competed, Anderson recently turned in an 11-page marketing plan for a laundromat cafe, which she completed in a week. She says she had to cover all her bases, from deciding what her demographic was to developing an overall strategy.
"By the time you master a project, you have a perfect document," Anderson says of receiving feedback.
Anderson also enjoyed being able to work at her own pace, though whether this is the case varies among programs. In addition, she at times had to collaborate with other students to work on projects ingroups online – something that Orlando, of Northcentral University, views as a valuable workplace skill in the 21st century.
But project-based learning won't work well for every field or competency. Orlando says in some instances, it may require a baseline knowledge of a particular area, for instance.
"Once you take all those basic skills that you have learned but then you're ready to apply them, then project-based learning certainly presents a really nice venue for that," says Marilyn Rice, a professor in instructional technology at Sam Houston State University.
Project-based learning in an online class works best for those students looking to develop competencies, says Kazin, of College for America.
"I would be honest with the student about how much they really want to learn and whether they care about developing, really developing competencies, or whether they just want to pass a course," she says.
Source:/usnews.com/education/
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