{"doi":"10.18260/1-2--33205","title":"Project-Based Active Learning Techniques Enhance Computer Programming Academic and Career Self-Efficacy of Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Students","abstract":"Abstract Introduction Active learning significantly improves students’ educational achievements as compared to passive learning [1, 2]. In Biomedical Engineering (BME), active learning can be incorporated through various techniques such as problem- and project-based learning [3]. Such approaches lead students to deeper and more efficient retention of new concepts. During the past two decades, perceived self-efficacy has been increasingly considered as a highly effective predictor of students’ motivation and learning, as well as an important contributor to their academic development [4, 5]. Over the past two years, we investigated how project-based active learning techniques used in a biomedical computing class affected the self-efficacy of undergraduate BME students. Method This study was carried out under an official exemption by the Institutional Research Board at the […] (university de-identified for the purpose of double-blind review). In our project-based learning approach, 3-member student groups were instructed to build a heart rate monitor/activity tracker using Arduino UNO microprocessors interfacing with MATLAB and MATLAB Mobile. In another section of this course with different students, a problem-based learning approach was incorporated, where 3-member student groups were instructed to design a biomedical-oriented problem statement, and push the boundaries of their acquired programming skills to solve that problem. Additionally, they were required to review five journal papers on a biomedical topic assigned to their group and present a short summary lecture. Seven-point Likert-scale anonymous surveys with 14 questions were collected prior to and following the project within all sections. Survey results from the problem-based group were used to control against other potential factors affecting perceived self-efficacy. Due to the anonymous nature of the surveys, unpaired t-test with significance level set at =0.05 was used to statistically compare the pre- and post-activity self-efficacy scores. Results The following concepts significantly improved upon the completion of the hands-on project: clearer vision of programming application in engineering and in BME; believing in the necessity of programming in BME training; and higher expectation of success in a future BME career. Interestingly, problem-based learning did not indicate significant improvements in any of the investigated concepts, with lesser enhancements observed in the corresponding mean scores. Discussion Problem statement design, literature review, and completing a hands-on project will all provide the students with a wide range of practical applications of the course material. Hands-on projects, however, have a higher impact on improving students’ perceived self-efficacy and expectation of success, as compared to problem statement design and literature review alone. All of the foregoing improvements achieved through the completion of hands-on projects have direct influence on students’ motivation, and would maximize the accomplishment of learning objectives. References [1] Freeman, S. et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), pp. 8410–8415. [2] Handelsman, J. et al., Science, 304(5670), pp. 521–522. [3] Clyne, A. M., and Billiar, K. L. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 138(7), p. 070804. [4] Bandura, A., Psychological Review, 84(2), p.191. [5] Zimmerman, B.J., Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), pp.82-91.","journal":null,"year":2020,"id":124314,"datarank":0.0,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"self_citation_contribution":0.0,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.0,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":3,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.9522,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2020-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":341526,"name":"Rouzbeh Amini","orcid":"0000-0003-3632-6195","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":568888,"name":"S. Cyrus Rezvanifar","orcid":"0000-0002-1024-5672","position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":6,"raw_metadata":null,"created_at":"2026-07-18T23:15:07.789881Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}