A New Reflective Thinking Framework to Improve Project-Based Learning of Undergraduate Engineering Students

Many students in India’s schools reach only surface-level cognition by rote learning methods instead of making deeper cognitive connections through meaningful learning. Meaningful learning can be developed through metacognition. Critical to developing metacognition is ability to reflect on one’s own learning, that goes beyond domain-specific knowledge or knowing only about specific subject area. Many frameworks for self-reflection exist, but they may not be relevant to Indian educational culture, given lack of cognitive constructivist approach in our experiential learning settings. For, e.g., Indian students are not exposed in school to ideas of evaluation of individual feelings in a project and building upon, and inferring from one’s own experiences. Many existing reflection frameworks also cater primarily to theoretical teaching despite the project-based learning adopted in universities in recent years. Lack of encouragement for students to reflect in Indian engineering classrooms motivated us to device a reflective thinking framework as a part of the project-based learning curriculum in Innovation Lab course at a small private university in north India. The framework developed has multiple individual and team activities, that were analyzed for its effectiveness in imbibing reflective thinking in students. Findings indicate that the framework was positively received by students and succeded in inducing reflective thinking. It also highlights that students face resistance in reflecting individually which can be overcome by engaging them in team reflection activities.