Comparison of the Effectiveness of Company-Sponsored Versus Student-Selected Project-Based Learning in Online Database Classes

This research-to-practice full paper describes our comparative analysis of two different project-based learning (PBL) practices to identify determinant factors in PBL that can motivate and enhance student learning. Project-based learning, a widely recognized form of experiential learning, employs the “learning by doing” approach to help students build concrete knowledge through hands-on experience. Numerous studies have demonstrated that this knowledge transformation process can significantly enhance students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills, while also boosting their motivation and engagement. However, there is a lack of research comparing different PBL practices to pinpoint the essential design elements that maximize student learning. Our study focuses on half-term long PBL practices in online undergraduate database classes with similar demographics, where except for the differences in project-based learning practices, all others in two sections were the same. We compare company-sponsored projects with student-selected projects to analyze how these different approaches impact student learning outcomes and what could be determinant factors influence student project-based learning. Student-selected project-based learning allows students to choose their own data domain of interest. Company-sponsored project-based learning grants students less freedom in topic selection but could provide students with opportunities to collaborate with company professionists and learn the real needs from industry and have a potential to secure an intern job, though there exists uncertainty and unpredictability in the collaboration. Both project-based learning practices vary in the following five characteristics that influence projects: (1) Centrality, (2) Driving question, (3) Constructive investigations, (4) Autonomy and (5) Realism. Our comparative analysis reflects the inherent variations in complexity and difficulty between the two types of PBL practices. We conducted two surveys to investigate student perceptions of their project experiences. We developed a web dashboard to conduct comparative analysis for a more general purpose. Through quantitative analysis of student performance and engagement time, as well as qualitative analysis of survey responses, we identify statistically significant determinants that influence the effectiveness of PBL. This study lays the groundwork for designing guidelines to facilitate effective project-based learning.