Problem-Based Learning in Aerospace Engineering Education

Problem-based learning is now a widespread teaching method in disciplines where students must learn to apply knowledge, not just acquire it. In the undergraduate curriculum in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, problem-based learning and design-build experiences are integrated throughout the program. In an early freshman-year experience, Introduction to Aerospace and Design, students design, build, and fly radio-controlled lighter-than-air (LTA) vehicles.

In the sophomore-year Unified Engineering course, students design, build, and fly radio-controlled electric propulsion aircraft. In a course on Aerodynamics, a case study from either industry or government is used to provide an authentic problem. Upper-level capstone courses are entirely problem-based. In these PBL experiences, students identify problems of interest to them and experiment to find solutions, as well as design complex systems that integrate engineering fundamentals in a multidisciplinary approach.

This paper describes several problem-based learning experiences in undergraduate aerospace engineering at MIT within a four-level framework for categorizing problems. It presents the learning theories that underlie the success of PBL, identifies the basic characteristics of PBL, critical features in the design of problems, and effective methods for assessing PBL. Available here through the courtesy of the American Society of Engineering Education.