Use Project Based Learning, not just projects, to teach CS so that students develop important content knowledge while building interesting, self-motivated projects.

  • Sometimes the distinction between "teaching with projects" and Project Based Learning is lost.
    • When "teaching with projects," a lot of CS courses use projects as a way to test students’ understanding of materials presented in lecture.
    • In contrast, Project Based Learning (PBL)
      • Uses the project to motivate the content.
      • Uses rubrics to grade assignments.
      • Fosters group interactions with structured roles in group projects.
      • Structures learning in context of prior knowledge.
      • Includes opportunities for assessment of collaboration.
  • Additional resources on PBL tavailable from the Buck Institute for Education http://bie.org/

More about this tip

External Source

Interview with Bradley Beth