Teacher's experiences in PBL

Project-Based Learning (PBL) has been implemented in the first year of the Industrial Engineering and

Management programme at the University of Minho, Portugal, since 2004/2005. The purpose of this

paper is to analyse and discuss teachers’ experiences in PBL in this programme and to explore its implications

for student learning and for teaching practices in higher education. For data collection, the research

method used was written narratives to these teachers, at the end of the PBL semester. Findings suggest

that teachers express a positive view of PBL as a learning approach. They identify student motivation

and engagement, along with a better understanding of the application of concepts in real-life situations, as

important outcomes of the project for students. Besides this, teachers also highlight the importance of the

development of transversal skills by students throughout the project. Recommendations for future work

and implications for practice will also be discussed.