Fostering Human Wellbeing Through Project-Based Learning in Higher Education

This paper aims to explore how Project Based Learning (PBL) techno-pedagogy blended learning integration in higher education institutions (HEIs) allows for fostering learners’ well-being and solving local communities’ problems with new transferable skills supported by digital tools. A multisite ethnography mixed research design in three higher education institutions allowed to describe students’ wellbeing through Project Based Learning Pedagogical approach according to the PERMA Model: Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement. This research was conducted with a sample of 435 students and 8 teachers / educators in Cote d’Ivoire, a West Africa Francophone country. Data collection used classroom observation and semi-structured interviews to describe participants' experience with PBL through content and conversation analysis methods. Findings showed that PBL integration in local pedagogy in HEIs results from a 21st century pedagogical transformation based on real problem solving to support learners’ skills and communities. Yet, many contextual challenges like facility and resource constraints, structural constraints, large class sizes, information overload (ICT gap), time constraints, human capital constraints, lack of technology, and limited learning disturb teaching and learning outcomes of PBL on learners. However, the shift to PBL in the educative system contributes to 21st century skills enhancement and users’ well-being. As such, a recommendation for the digital era is for educational institutions to promote project-based learning in pedagogy to support lifelong learning and human well-being, to foster current and next generations skills, including but not limited to flexibility, resilience, and problem-solving.