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The Framework for High Quality Project Based Learning (HQPBL) describes PBL in terms of the student experience. It describes six criteria, each of which must be at least minimally present in a project in order for it to be judged “high quality.” The six criteria were chosen as a necessary starting point for providing students access to HQPBL because they are an essential baseline, but they are not all-encompassing.
Projects that are the most memorable, and that have the greatest impact on student learning and development, will be those with the highest quality implementation of each criterion. The case study that follows highlights the six criteria and is intended to provide readers with a real-world example of HQPBL.
At Thrive Public Schools, Project Based Learning is defined by projects that are:
- Rooted in a real-world problem.
- Framed by a wicked question.
- Include a community expert or external connection.
- involve beautiful work and craftsmanship in a final product.
- Incorporate peer critique and feedback.
- Share in a public presentation to an authentic audience.
Assisi cited some confusion in the broader academic community surrounding elements of problem-based learning and activity-based learning that were similar but not exactly PBL. Those approaches lack the project management elements that incorporate goals, deadlines, estimates, and scopes of work that truly set PBL apart from other methods. Thrive’s students can clearly view and manage these aspects using visual project maps, which articulate weekly objectives and tasks in a straightforward, time-bound format.