The Benefits of Project-Based Learning in Coding Education

Imagine walking into a classroom that’s buzzing with activity. The teacher is making the rounds from table to table. The students work earnestly on devices, writing code, testing programs or mechanisms, and jotting down notes. You’ll periodically hear cheers of success or sighs of disappointment as “they go back to the drawing board.”

This scenario encompasses coding in the project-based learning setting. This instructional practice proves to be more than just a passing Trend in education that’s popular today but forgotten tomorrow. Project-based learning (PBL) and coding are likely here to stay since both have proven advantages related to preparing students for future STEM careers. With this in mind, let’s look at coding education benefits within a project-based approach.

Overview of Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning enables students to choose a real-world problem as the focus of their research and exploration. This problem pertains to the students’ interests and/or daily lives, which promotes more buy-in on their part. For this same reason, the primary components of project-based learning hold the students more accountable for the skills and knowledge that they acquire throughout the course of the project.

Other traits you’ll encounter in the project-based classroom include:

• An interdisciplinary approach – various academic subjects are involved
• Rigor – the project’s challenges go beyond memorization and repetition
• A Student-centered process – the students drive the direction of the project while the teacher takes on a more managerial role.

Overall, the project and its related research and tasks make up the student guided instruction practice and assessment. For this reason, coding would fit in perfectly in this classroom approach which we’ll discuss further.

Getting Away from “Traditional Instruction”

One benefit is PBL’s distinction from traditional teaching methods. You’ll immediately see the difference between project-based learning and traditional teaching practices. Most of the time in the traditional classroom, you’ll find the teacher giving instruction and conducting a whole class practice. From there, the students gradually start working on their own or in groups with the teacher walking around and answering questions.

 In contrast to that scenario, project-based learning is more student driven, but you’ll still find a structured environment. That’s because the students are required to come up with a problem (related to the essential question presented by the teacher) that will drive the direction of their project throughout the term. This is where coding easily comes into play. The students can learn a coding language, and their practice with that language would be a major component of the project. From then on, they will be held accountable for certain criteria during each phase. Therefore, the learning is more student-centered with the teacher taking on more of a managerial role and providing guidance.

Going Beyond the Unit Test

The traditional classroom also tends to focus more on the assessment at the end of a grading period (during which the students receive instruction in a set of standards) Project-based learning, on the other hand, lends itself more to ongoing exploration and finding solutions. This translates into assessments that are built into the project. Basically, it’s a continuous process consisting of short quizzes or brief presentations throughout the course of the project. Using this method, teachers can gain a true snapshot of the students’ progress.

Better yet, you’ll find that project-based learning, especially where coding is involved, often culminates into a final product that the students can use at some point in the future. This can be a useful invention, portfolio, or research findings that are captured on video, slide presentation, or other form of digital media as opposed to just an exam.

The Connection Between Coding Education and Project-based Learning

Learning to utilize a coding language and applying it to different tasks blends together seamlessly with project-based learning. In fact, students can think of many questions or problems that can be addressed by using technology. For instance, many projects entail data analysis and a visual aid to present it. Therefore, students can write codes for both tasks or design a program to do both. All in all, students can design and/or program just about anything they can imagine when given a specific problem to solve and the leeway to utilize coding to find the answers.

Coding Education Benefits in the Project-Based Classroom

You can expect students to gain many advantages from coding education in a project-based situation. Rather than just passively viewing examples of program languages, the students actively write codes to gain solutions. As you’ll see below, there are even more perks to this educational methodology.

Increased Student Motivation

You might not be surprised to see students walk into the project-based classroom with an air of excitement to get started. For starters, they choose the problem that they wish to solve. As we’ve mentioned, they want to invest more time and energy in their project when the solution pertains to their world. For this reason, PBL positively impacts the students’ overall attitude toward their work.

Immediate Feedback

The project base setting, when combined with coding, also yields quicker feedback so that students can more easily pivot their research and testing of hypotheses. Consequently, you’re taking more of the guesswork out of the learning situation and allowing for deeper exploration on the students’ part. As they explore and invent possible solutions, students gain feedback right away. In this regard, they immediately find out if they’re coding was effective or if they need to retrace their steps.

Quicker Mastery of Skills

Because of the benefits of motivation and immediate feedback, students tend to pick up on skills and theory applications at a steady pace. By taking an innovative and problem-solving approach in their project, students gain more practice with coding because part of the process involves creating, testing, troubleshooting (or making changes), and then testing again. Consequently, this rigorous manner of learning and practicing that mimics an actual job makes it easier for a student to gain and retain all information involved with coding.

Improve Retention of Concepts and Skills

Consequently, the practice of programming that mimics a job situation makes it easier for students to gain all skills involved with coding. Likewise, students also retain what they’ve learned through the ongoing process of inquiry and the application of newly acquired coding languages and theories. Basically, you’re looking at the possibility of students coming away from this experience with abilities and knowledge that they’ll not only remember, but also be able to transfer into other coursework and even into their eventual career.

More Opportunities for Making Choices

Another reason why students more effectively acquire and retain knowledge involves the many opportunities they have for making choices. As we’ve seen, traditional instruction involves the study of a lot of facts, theory, etc., usually culminating in an exam, essay, or a final project. Project-based learning, however, involves higher order questioning, research, and in this case, a direct application of coding skills to achieve a goal and solve a complex problem.

 In other words, the students aren’t given the answers ahead of time, and teachers aren’t teaching to a test. There are different pathways towards solving the problems related to the same essential question. Therefore, students have to choose which angle to take, which coding language works best, and so on.

Team Effort

Coding education benefits also include collaboration, which is another important aspect of project-based learning. However, this form of cooperative learning goes beyond having a small number of students working on a research task that’s divided into three or four equal parts. Indeed, each student plays a vital role in the success of the project. Thus, each student has just as much accountability for his or her work as the rest of the group. In other words, it’s almost impossible for the entire load to fall on one or two individuals. In fact, you’ll see a similar dynamic in an actual job situation, especially where coding is involved. Furthermore, each student’s role tends to fit in more with his or her unique set of talents. Each person has something to offer to the project, and their contribution helps to achieve the group’s common goal. Like we said before, everyone can help code the program, and some members can check while others are testing the program. Once the testing has been completed, then everyone participates in the reflection.

Useful Preparation for Future Study and Careers

And one of the best benefits is the finished product itself. At the end of the term, each student has their documentation of the project. Some examples include a portfolio, a form of digital media, or a prototype along with a written manual. Compiling data and other information into any of these forms gives the students a chance to learn a real-world skill where they would have to submit a blueprint, a file, a dossier, or some other artifact of their ideas and labor. Either way, having a finished product of this sort will help students prepare for their next steps in their education and ultimately in their careers.

How to Get Started with Project-based Learning

If you’re wondering how to implement project-based learning, you can probably expect a lengthy process. Nonetheless, the results are worth it.

 To start off, the teacher might be giving lessons involving class and or lab procedures to help familiarize students with all necessary devices and equipment. Plus, teachers can expect to review research skills and the scientific method to some degree. Additionally, some instruction and/or review of coding languages will be necessary.

Basically, what you’ll see at the beginning of the school year is the teacher preparing the students to embark on an adventure in research, testing prototypes, testing programs– whatever discoveries and results come about through their hard work.

Another part of the prep is introducing the students to the essential question, which is a general topic and problem that the students will tackle through their project. Examples of essential questions are:

• Can we create alternative fuels?
• How do we prevent the oceans from becoming polluted?
• Do humans need all species of animals to survive?

 From there, the brainstorming begins.

Challenges (and Solutions) to Project-based Learning

On another note, your local school district might encounter a few bumps on the road while incorporating project-based learning and coding into the curriculum. Nevertheless, teachers, parents, and district officials can all bring solutions to the table to provide excellent instruction for all students. Here are some examples.

A Reluctant Attitude Toward Change

Whether or not coding instruction is involved, some teachers or even members of administration might feel nervous about switching from traditional instruction to project-based learning. You almost can’t blame them since this methodology requires time, resources, and most likely professional development for school staff.

 In this case, those potential problems turn into potential opportunities for both teachers and students. Professional development, for instance, doesn’t have to take time away from the classroom. Colleagues can team-teach the course or collaborate on the project’s planning, which allows those with less experience to learn new strategies.

Another solution involves teachers observing the PBL classroom in action. Watching PBL experts also helps teachers to see what project-based learning looks like and allows for questions. They can then consider how they would adapt this method to their own instruction. Plus, they would see how coding instruction provides more structure to the course.

Difficulty with Assessing and Measuring Student Progress

Also, school personnel and parents might wonder what the tests and quizzes would look like. That’s understandable.

One answer relates to the fact that coding is involved in multiple facets of the project. Therefore, the quality of the code written by the students and the troubleshooting serve as one form of the assessment. Plus, teachers can periodically schedule quizzes, presentations, portfolio checks, or any other assessment that measures the students’ progress and skills.

Distraction from Actual Learning

Likewise, you wouldn’t be alone if you had concerns about the collaborative yet independent nature of project-based learning. With students working in groups, the situation might seem chaotic. However, each student already has his or her role lined out, and with coding being part of the equation (no pun intended), every member of the group has to do his or her part (ie: writing, checking and testing, and suggesting changes). Similar to a job in the real world, if one or two group members don’t fully participate in building a prototype, then the group’s creation won’t work.

Another strategy that solves this problem includes a daily debriefing where students answer the teacher’s probing questions and document their work on a checklist.

Examples of Projects

One example that combines coding education benefits with project-based learning involves designing a game in which the characters perform a virtual cleanup of a specified habitat.

Likewise, students can also use Python or Java to create games that involve a storyline with alternative endings. The story and the characters’ dilemmas center around the essential question that was presented at the beginning of the term.

 Another instance, where the essential question may relate to climate change, students can create a code that helps collect data associated with weather patterns. From there, the students can design infographics as a means of presenting their findings and conclusions.

Older students can also build an app that teaches literacy or math skills to younger students through games. One of the app’s features can help the users to track their progress as well.

Key Takeaways

As a result of advances in technology, we can expect students to reap more of the coding education benefits, especially in a project-based learning classroom. This opportunity also has a win-win for both students and teachers in the way of collaboration. Students, of course, would team up to complete their projects, thus picking up the soft skills along with coding. Teachers, in turn, can also work cooperatively in the planning phase of a project or by joining forces in the classroom. Once again, creativity, teamwork, and innovation prevail.