From July 6th to 10th, Mondragon University and Aalborg University, UNESCO sponsors of Project-Based Learning, PBL, hosted an International Conference on “Learners in Engineering Education, (IJCLEE 2015) in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain. Attendees included researchers and lecturers from institutes and universities from twenty countries, including Singapore, Japan, China, the UK, the US, Germany, France, Holland, Denmark, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, South Africa, Costa Rica, Peru, Sweden, Finland, Colombia, Malaysia and Vietnam. DTU, an expert user of PBL and the only Vietnamese university to attend, presented three papers on Administration, Finance and Nursing, which were well received by the conference.
DTU presents its PBL experiences
PBL is a teaching approach that engages students in sustained, collaborative real-time research activities, which was initially implemented at McMaster University in Canada in 1969. It was later sponsored by UNESCO, who selected Aalborg University in Denmark to promote PBL worldwide.
The IJCLEE, which is held every two years, is regularly attended by international users of PBL and the fifty-eight speakers focused on the role of PBL in higher education and the benefits of using PBL to enhance education, skills and practical professional experience at universities.
DTU lecturers and staff at the conference
When DTU understood the advantages of PBL, they organized PBL training sessions and initiated pilot programs in Economic Administration, Health and Social Humanities, in parallel with the adoption of CDIO in Science, Technology and Engineering. The use of PBL adoption has resulted in significant advances in study at DTU, were recounted at the conference. These included:
1. PBL Implementation of Computer Simulation in the Teaching of Strategic Management, by Mr. Tran Tuan Dat.
2. Obstacles in the PBL Adoption for the Accounting Discipline, by Dr. Le Nguyen Bao and Ms. Nguyen Nhu Hien Hoa.
3. Problems and Solutions of PBL Implementation in Nursing, by Medical Doctor Nguyen Huynh Ngoc.
Dr. Le Nguyen Bao, DTU Vice-Provost, said: “DTU has carefully adopted PBL, regularly checking and evaluating the effectiveness and making appropriate adjustments. DTU’s achievements, as demonstrated in our three reports, have been highly appreciated by conference representatives.”
(Media Center)