Modern approach to learning and teaching

Project-based learning organises learning around an authentic project that results in a tangible product or service for a real audience. It starts with a driving question that is challenging, relevant and multi-layered, e.g. "How to design a more accessible campus for people with reduced mobility?". This naturally triggres research, design, evaluation and communication. The student takes responsibility for the plan, deadlines and quality, and the teacher acts as a facilitator who provides structure, resources and feedback. Process and product are at the centre: documenting decisions, iterative improvement and public presentation to relevant stakeholders.

The structure typically includes three phases. In planning, the learning outcomes, success criteria and rubric are defined, the time plan is outlined and intermediate steps are determined. Implementation includes data collection, prototype development, feedback testing and peer evaluation. The evaluation combines public presentation with self-assessment) and a portfolio containing digital objects, i.e. evidence and reflection. Tools like kanban boards, shared/collaborative documents, and LMS help with task visibility, versioning and communication maintenance.

For example, in the environmental engineering programme, a team might develop a rainwater harvesting system for a faculty building: they create a hydraulic calculation, a 3D model, a cost estimate and a maintenance plan, and publicly defend the solution to the administration. In the humanities, a student prepares a digital exhibition of local heritage: describing artifacts, writes curatorial texts, creates an interactive map or timeline of prehistoric events, and collects community feedback. In economics/marketing, a team of students designs a campaign with A/B testing of creative solutions and a KPI report. In this way, project-based learning combines knowledge, skills and attitudes into a meaningful, authentic task that develops long-term competencies.

 

Examples of digital tools that can be used for project-based learning

Trello is a simple yet highly customisable project management tool that visualises work through boards, lists and cards based on the principles of a kanban board. Each project becomes a list board (e.g., “Planning / In Progress / Review / Completed”), and specific tasks live as cards that can be marked with deadlines, priorities, tags assigned to team/group members, and checklists. It is also possible to add attachments, comments and reminders, use templates for typical workflows, and extend functionality with integrations or automation for repetitive tasks. The advantage for higher education projects is transparency: everyone can see the status, identify bottlenecks and share responsibility. Trello is part of the Atlassian ecosystem and works on the web and mobile devices, making it easy to collaborate and work outside the classroom or HEI. The tool exists in a free and commercial version, the free version and the ready-made templates contained in it are sufficient to get started, and more advanced team features are available through the commercial version (therefore, it is up to the teacher to assess whether they want to use this tool and to what extent).

Application scenario: In an e-course where project-based learning is to be used, the teacher opens the so-called Main Board with the lists: Summary and Objectives, Research, Prototyping, Testing, Presentation, Final. Each team duplicates the board as its own project space. At the beginning of the cycle, teams add cards with a developed driving question, success criteria and reference resources to the Summary and Objectives list. The Research list contains cards with data collection tasks, source checklists, and methodology, while deadlines and labels (e.g., “critical,” “external stakeholder”) make it easier to prioritise individual tasks. In the Prototyping phase, each card represents a solution module with attachments (sketches, 3D models, cost tables). In Testing, teams open cards for each user test with findings and decisions. The teacher sets up automation: when moving a card to “Overview,” an internal checklist and a “ready for feedback” label are automatically added. A short weekly meeting is held directly on the board: everyone switches their cards and notes down on what is blocking further progress. Before submission, Presentation cards are given checklists for the story, slides and demonstration; the board remains a digital trail of the process for evaluation (the rubric includes visibility of the progress, documentation quality and final product).

GitHub is a standard platform for code versioning and collaborative development, but in project teaching it also offers powerful tools for planning and monitoring through Projects (customisable table/kanban views). Teachers can use GitHub Classroom to set up e-courses, create individual or team assignments, perform automated grading and track progress through the admin dashboard. Projects allow adding custom fields, filtering, grouping and creating different views (e.g. Backlog / Sprint / Roadmap), all linked to development workflows (branching, code reviews, CI). For students, this means working with real tools used in the software industry, with a clear track of decisions and changes, and transparent tasks and deadlines. GitHub Education also offers benefits (free access to partner tools), making it easier to establish a professional environment for student projects.

Application scenario: In the Engineering Design course, the teacher uses GitHub Classroom to create team assignments and generate a repository for each team with initial templates (directory structure, CI configuration, rubric file). The teams in the repository open the so-called Issues requests and connect them to the Projects board, where it receives labels for priority and type of work (en. feature/bug/docs) and the associated phase. In case of changes, the so-called Pull requests with mandatory reviews and automatic checks (CI). The teacher monitors the workflow on the control panel, and automatically downloads the results and records the passing of the tests through the Classroom. Around the middle of the semester, the teams publish the so-called RC (en. "release candidate") and attach accompanying documentation with instructions. The final action plan shows what has been achieved and what is planned for the next iteration, which serves as material for public presentation and reflection on the development process (what we learned, what compromises we chose). This structured course combines technical execution with project management and communication, which gives students valuable experience working on application development tasks in a team.

Miro is an online whiteboard for synchronous and asynchronous collaboration: from ideation and affinity grouping to process mapping, scenario development and presentation preparation. The tool provides a so-called infinite digital canvas with sticky notes, shapes, connectors, comments, templates and a timeline, and supports the work of many participants in real time. Many templates speed up the launch of project activities, and an educational subscription offers benefits for teaching staff and students. In case of need for quick, almost one-time use, Miro Lite is also available (without registration, but the duration of the board is only 24 hours). Exporting image/PDF formats makes it easier to document and submit digital objects, while the presentation options within the board itself reduce "switching" between tools. Miro is particularly useful in project-based teaching because it combines visual thinking, collaboration and planning in one environment, or tool.

Application scenario: In the e-course "Service Design", groups of students begin activities on the Miro board by mapping stakeholders and affinity grouping insights from previously conducted interviews. They then use the "Customer Journey" template to visualise the user experience and highlight "sore spots". The teacher engages synchronously through comments and reactions to ask questions and guide performance criteria. The next step is idea development: each student adds a minimum of five ideas (via sticky notes), after which the group conducts a speed vote and selects a concept for rapid prototyping. After that, they plan weekly tasks and responsibilities in the kanban template, with deadlines and statuses visible to the entire group. For the mid-term review, students launch the presentation mode within Miro and lead the panel through the scenario, without exporting additional tools. After feedback, they duplicate the board for the next iteration and clearly mark changes (e.g. with the label "V2"). At the end of the semester, they export the board to PDF and attach it to the portfolio with a short reflection on the process (what was learned, what assumptions were revised, how to iterate further).