A mixed project-based learning framework: preparing and developing student competencies in a French Grande Ecole

Siegfried Rouvrais (1) , Janet Ormrod (2) , Gabrielle Landrac (3) , Julien Mallet (1) , Jean-Marie Gilliot (1) , André Thépaut (1) , Pierre Tremenbert (4)

1 INFO - Département informatique
2 LCI - Département Langues et Culture Internationale
3 MO - Département Micro-Ondes
4 DE - Direction Entreprises

Emerging engineers need to rely on a whole corpus of scientific and technical knowledge, but also on a full set of competencies. For engineering schools, a competency objectives approach requires specific pedagogical methods. Some competencies based on skills and attitudes are difficult to develop through traditional teaching so, in 2003, our institution implemented a project-oriented framework combining pedagogical methods such as project-based learning, active pedagogy, and traditional teaching paradigms. In practice, each semester, students work in groups on a competency-controlled project lasting over 100 hours per student. Although comparisons between various pedagogical methods are difficult and sensitive, numerous internal signals confirm the validity of several aspects of our mixed option.

Mots clés: Project-based learning; Competency; Semester project; Pedagogical method; Pédagogie; Pedagogy; Formation; Teaching; Learning; Education; Comptence; Pédagogie par projets; Skills

Domaines: Education; Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]

Siegfried Rouvrais, Janet Ormrod, Gabrielle Landrac, Julien Mallet, Jean-Marie Gilliot, et al.. A mixed project-based learning framework: preparing and developing student competencies in a French Grande Ecole. European Journal of Engineering Education, 2006, 31 (1), pp.83-93. ⟨10.1080/03043790500429500⟩. ⟨hal-00724734⟩