Successful Instructional Strategies for Online PBL

Abstract

Recent studies have been conducted on the efficacy of Project Based Learning (PBL) (Saavedra, 2021; Kracjik, 2020). However, there exists a gap in the professional literature for implementing PBL in an online environment. This study seeks to find successful ways to implement PBL instructional strategies in an online environment through analysis of observational data collected on a teacher-researcher’s practices in a secondary biology classroom. This study utilizes action research to compile data in a research journal and then subjects that data to thematic analysis using the Costa Qualitative Data Analysis (CQDA) technique (Costa, 2019). The results of this study identified eight strategies that lead to successful implementation of PBL. The implications of this study include providing a toolkit of instructional strategies for future online PBL educators to use, giving educators a frame of reference for changes they may need to make to other aspects of their teaching practices, and identifying potential areas for future research in online PBL education