Exploring the transformative potential of project-based learning in university adult education

Abstract This paper critically explores the potential of Project Based Learning (Pbl) to facilitate socially transformative kinds of learning. It focuses on a model of Pbl developed at the Catholic University of Leuven for students of ‘Social Pedagogy’, which has its origins in the social democratic concerns of linking student learning to real-life community problems. The paper explores the pedagogic and epistemological considerations for adopting such a model of Pbl in university adult education in South Africa. It argues that it has the potential of allowing students to construct new knowledge which is action-oriented and socially relevant; of emphasising collective learning and promoting an inclusive approach to knowledge production and dissemination; and of strengthening critical reflectivity and creativity. In the final section, the paper raises concerns around recent shifts that reflect increasing pressures on universities to become more vocationally and market oriented. It concludes that Pbl can as easily be used to support the ideology of ‘new vocationalism’ as it can to support a more radical education agenda. The challenge facing university adult education in South Africa is how to use Pbl not only to equip students with the means to survive in a ‘risk society’, but also to build their confidence and ability to challenge and re-negotiate the current terms of globalisation.

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