Work in progress: Creating a climate of increased motivation and persistence for electrical and computer engineering students: A project-based learning approach to integrated labs

This work in progress studies the impact on students and faculty and their perceived value of integrating project-based labs with lectures on student learning in a sophomore-level electrical and computer engineering course. Historically, engineering courses have been structured with a division between the theoretical lecture and the applied lab, preventing students from making clear connections between the two. Today's students do not find this legacy approach effective [1], [2]. In order to enhance student learning and concept retention in a large electrical and computer engineering program, a faculty team is redesigning the sophomore year experience using a project-based learning approach. This study describes the work of one instructor teaching a freshman-level course as part of the experience of exploring the full integration of labs and lectures that incorporate industry-level, real-world problems. The questions we seek to address are: How does integration of project-based lab and lecture contribute to students' perceptions of value, motivation and success? How does integration of project-based lab and lecture contribute to instructors' perceptions of value and motivation to modernize instruction? In this paper we discuss the historical approach to the design of the course, which we discovered was from the early 1980s, the time of the last major curriculum revision. In addition, using the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation together with course data, we present baseline data from current students and instructors in regards to overall performance. Finally, using the MUSIC Model and course data from instructors and students in the revised course, we report some insight on perceived value and performance in order to make comparisons between the old and revised curriculum. Additional data sources were pulled from student feedback as well as analytic memos from the instructor. For the purpose of this paper, the combination and cross-analysis of this data resulted in a set of lessons learned and recommendations for faculty looking to adjust the design of their course to be more integrative. For the broader purpose of this grant project, this data will be used to influence the trajectory of the course and refine methods for more thorough integration of the labs. While our original expectation was that the integration of project-based labs would increase student success, as measured by course grade distribution as well as self-reported perceptions through the use of the MUSIC survey, we actually found little to no change in these measures. In addition, we anticipated the results from the research would reveal that having students participate in industry-level, real-world scenarios would contribute to increased authenticity students assign to the course content, also to which we found little to no change. Even though our original presumptions were unfounded in these two specific quantitative measurements, there are several other factors that have arisen that allow us to nevertheless make meaningful recommendations to other electrical and computer engineering instructors, as well as department administration, as we continue to modernize the student experience.