Project-Based Service-Learning and Student Motivation

We know from motivation theory that enhanced motivation in students is positively correlated with engagement and active learning, interest, and value. We know less about the types of instructional strategies and curricular interventions that work to enhance student motivation in a typical engineering course. Grounded in motivation theory, the purpose of this research is to evaluate how the context of project-based service-learning affects aspects of student motivation in a required undergraduate Mechanical Engineering course. Our research aims to answer: 1) How does project-based service learning affect students’ motivation as compared to conventional (non-service) project-based learning? 2) How are women affected differentially by project-based service-learning? The research, which began in 2010, is being completed over a two-year period. The students and activities in Component Design, an existing junior-level course at the University of Colorado at Boulder, will serve as the research focus. Specifically, project-based service-learning curriculum will be implemented into a required design and build activity for Component Design students. Using a conventional design project as the control, how the context of project-based service learning affects aspects of student motivation will be studied. This paper will discuss the research design, theoretical framework, and the results from our first year of research. Our objective is to provide a more thorough understanding of the effects of service-learning on engineering education. Although service-learning may not be appropriate for every engineering course, we can strive to identify and implement specific elements of service-learning that are correlated with student motivation.Copyright © 2011 by ASME