Project Oriented: The Learning Method that Will Prepare You for a Career

During recent years, many questions have been arising regarding the relevance of academic institutions: to what extent do they prepare students for the workplace and for the changes occurring within them, and to what extent do the programs match the technological reality and improve people’s ability to adapt to the rapid changes required for success.

Leading academic institutes throughout the world have decided, therefore, to implement an innovative teaching method known as “Project Oriented.” This method enables the practice of principles as they are being learned. Students are required to solve tangible problems, as some of the subject matters that can help resolve these problems are learned independently or under supervision, similar to what happens in a real work environment.

SCE is leading the Project Oriented approach in Israel, and essentially simulates a real work environment throughout the teaching process. Students that have completed their studies at SCE, either in structural engineering, software engineering, industrial engineering and management, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering or electricity and electrical engineering, are equipped with a more elastic way of thinking. This way of thinking enables them to adapt to the conditions and realities in their field. Contrary to many workers that refer back to their books or notebooks for reinforcement, or base their actions on more experienced workers than themselves, SCE graduates enter the workplace with much more confidence and a higher level of adaptability to the workplace. This is essentially due to the fact that they have already experiences real life situations numerous times during their degree studies.

With the Project Oriented approach, we take a particular challenge that an engineer must face and try to solve it in a practical way. When working, we face many new issues – theories and methods that must be learned and understood, and the learning process is facilitated through experience. This way, theories that have no connection whatsoever to anything, apart from the examination at the end of the semester, are transformed into an important problem tool for solving greater problems. Students understand the context, know how to apply it to other issues, and at the same time, gain real life work experience. Research has shown that students are more successful when they study this way.

In closing, we will state that the Project Oriented method of learning demands more efforts not only from the student but also from the institution itself. The groups are smaller and there is also a need for personal guidance. We at SCE believe that over time, this will be the only way of learning. We have already received a great deal of positive feedback from employers that can see the difference between students that have experienced this innovative method of learning, and those who have studied in the traditional theoretical method. The demand for engineering students that have studied with the Project Oriented method is constantly growing.