Web-based environment for managing undergraduates project-based learning

Abstract

Undergraduates often involve in doing projects as a learning activity in universities. It is the Project‐Based Learning (PBL) which is a popular teaching and learning method in this century. PBL is stated as a model that organizes the learning around projects. It often has a group of students engaged in cooperative learning and collaborative problem solving. In PBL, undergraduates often need to solve different problems. In addition, supervisors and undergraduates need searching, studying and sharing information in order to complete a project. Although undergraduates will have deeper understandings of learning contents and concepts, some issues would be raised during the learning process such as the difficulties in knowledge management and collaborative learning. Supervisors would also have the difficulties in supervising undergraduates to work on their projects. Furthermore, most of the existing learning systems and tools may not solve these problems effectively. Therefore, this project aims to develop a web‐based environment to facilitate the Project‐Based Learning of undergraduates. This environment is developed with the use of Ontology and Learning Object Metadata concepts and technologies in order to improve and support the knowledge management, collaborative learning and supervision in PBL. In addition, this environment provides some management functions which can help both supervisors and undergraduates to organize their projects and learning resources more efficiently and systematically.