An Exploratory Comparative Study on the Impacts of Technical Support on Student Successes in Computing Project-Based Learning

In this research paper, we conducted a comparative study to measure the effectiveness of the provided technical support in computing project-based learning (PjBL) courses. Students learn much better by solving authentic real-world problems through PjBL. PjBL in computing education has proven to boost student motivation and engagement while enhancing academic performance. Crucial to PjBL in computing is the technical support that the instructors can provide to students, which is required for sustained, successful learning during project tasks. Without adequate support, PjBL will fall short of accomplishing its goals, leading to a rise in student frustration, a loss of motivation and engagement, and compromised learning outcomes. Measuring the impacts and effectiveness of the provided support is imperative for fostering continuous improvement, informed decision-making, and student success. It enables instructors to assess the impacts of their strategies, improve their approaches, and utilize their resources more effectively. To measure the impacts of technical support on students during PjBL, we performed a comparative study on two undergraduate computing courses in Spring 2024, Fundamentals of Software Engineering and Database Systems. In both courses, students work on two assigned projects, one with little and inadequate support and the other with adequate support. We administered a post-survey after each project was completed. We analyzed students' selfreflection responses across four sub-scales, support satisfaction, motivation, self-efficacy, and project satisfaction. The results show a statistically significant increase in the supported project in the Fundamentals of Software Engineering course and no difference in the Database Systems course. This finding is likely due to other differences between the two projects for the Database Systems course beyond support, such as project scale. Qualitative analysis of students' responses also indicates the need for support by students in the less supported projects. Based on our experience, we reflect on the question of what would constitute a good design for studies that seek to compare two different student learning experiences.