New Perspectives in Science Education
Project-Based Learning in STEM Education: From Requirements to Functional Prototype
Verónica Vasconcelos, Polytechnic University of Coimbra (Portugal)
Louis Marques, Polytechnic University of Coimbra; INESC COIMBRA (Portugal)
Marco Silva, Polytechnic University of Coimbra (Portugal)
Abstract
Project-based learning (PBL) is an approach particularly well-suited to applied STEM education, especially when the goal is to expose students to new, open-ended problems that closely resemble professional practice. This paper presents an experience developed in the Applications Laboratory for Industry course unit, part of the Bachelor’s degree program in Industrial Informatics, focused on the development of a scalable smart access management system for building infrastructures.
Working in teams, students were challenged to develop a modern, decentralized, and scalable solution based on a common set of requirements. The project included access control, environmental monitoring, wireless connectivity, IoT-enabled centralized management, a monitoring dashboard, PCB development, and 3D modeling of custom prototype parts. Students were given full autonomy to define technical and architectural solutions, with the goal of delivering a functional, documented, and demonstrable solution.
An analysis of the projects outcomes shows that the same project specification led to distinct solutions, particularly regarding the architectures adopted, communication protocols, authentication mechanisms, and data management strategies. This diversity shows how a common set of requirements can lead to different technical and architectural decisions while still producing functional prototypes. Student feedback also indicated a positive perception of the approach: all respondents agreed that the project helped them connect course content with real-world applications, while 88.9% considered project-based interdisciplinary learning important for the development of competencies relevant to their future careers. Overall, this experience highlights the potential of authentic, sufficiently open-ended challenges to integrate knowledge from different fields and create opportunities for technical decision-making, experimentation, and critical analysis.
Keywords: Project-Based Learning; STEM Education; functional prototype; active learning; student autonomy.
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