Effectiveness and Impact of Technology-Enabled Project-Based Learning with the Use of Process Prompts in Teacher Education

Source: Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, Volume 19, Issue 2, April 2011, 141-167.

The authors investigated the effectiveness and impacts of process prompts on students’ learning and computer self-efficacy within the technology-enabled project-based learning (PBL) context in an undergraduate educational technology course.

The authors used technology-enabled PBL with the assistance of process prompts.
The authors aimed to elicit prospective teachers’ perceptions of their learning experiences in past courses in the program to help them integrate knowledge acquired prior to solving instructional problems and to assist them in self-assessing their own knowledge.

Thirty-five prospective teachers enrolled in a Web-Based Instruction for English Language Teaching (ELT) course worked collaboratively for a duration of four months in groups of five to complete a project.

Data were collected through surveys, interviews, final projects, and reflections.

Students’ interviews and reflections revealed that process prompts were important in facilitating problem-solving efforts; they support metacognitive thinking, and facilitate the construction of knowledge in technology-enabled PBL.
The surveys showed significant gains on students’ computer self-efficacy after the completion of technology-enabled PBL.
The findings contribute to the field of technology education through PBL and provide a point of reference for other teachers who want to implement PBL in their curricula.