Impact of Project-based Learning on Self-Efficacy of Students in Engineering Modeling and Design Courses

This paper reports results of a longitudinal study to investigate the impact of project-based learning on self-efficacy of students in engineering modeling and design courses. Engineering modeling and design curriculum is based on hands-on and project-based learning activities to provide students an experience of going through the engineering design process. An important measure of effectiveness of engineering modeling and design curriculum is the determination of self-efficacy of students. Self-efficacy refers to the degree of confidence in their ability to utilize the skills learned during these courses. The data for the study was collected through a specially-designed self-efficacy instrument during three iterations of the Engineering Modeling and Design Course at Arkansas Tech University. A within-subjects approach is used to assess self-efficacy and perception based on learning style preferences of the students. This approach helped us statistically analyze the variability in students\u27 course grades based on their preferred learning styles. We also examined the data to identify factors that could predict students\u27 course scores based on their self-efficacy. The results indicate that there is strong correlation between the self-efficacy scores and the overall course grades of the students in engineering modeling and design courses. © 2019 IEEE