Application of Workshop-Based Instruction to Guide Project-Based Research Learning on Environmental Problems

Abstract

In this paper, we report an applied case study of workshop-based instruction to guide project-based research learning for approximately 280 first-year undergraduate students at the University of Kitakyushu and 25 tutors. The study is called Case Studies on Environmental Issues, and it has two features: a team project and research learning on an environmental problem. Thus, we develop and implement a workshop based on the following instructional design: (1) read the existing instruction manuals and record activities and issues on sticky notes, (2) categorize each sticky note according to the eight essential points of project-based learning, and (3) share the results with teams nearby. We conducted a survey of students after this course, and found that: (1) The workshop is effective in removing the anxiety that students feel about group work and the processes of this course. (2) Satisfaction with the workshop was high because each student understands the process of this course well and becomes conscious of his/her role in a team. (3) This workshop encourages each student to participate in group work, and many students report that they have experienced solving problems as a group. Thus, this workshop is effective for team project-based research learning. We will also propose applications of this method to transform instruction, which tends to bore students, into attractive active learning.