What kind of project in the basic year of an engineering curriculum

Objectives of classical projects are usually to apply and synthesize knowledge acquired during courses. Such projects are therefore result oriented. However, within the framework of project-based learning as developed in the new engineering curriculum at Université catholique de Louvain, the project should be oriented towards the acquisition of new knowledge and competencies. In this context, the result of a project is the solution (e.g. a prototype, a contest) and the learning process. Such projects come before (or simultaneously with) the courses and are used to contextualize the concept. The two types of project have different objectives, characteristics, assessment and tutoring principles. They therefore have different fields of application.