Combining Research-, Project-, and Case-Based Learning in Higher Manufacturing Engineering Education

Research in higher manufacturing engineering education must continuously adapt to current and future challenges manufacturing companies are facing. Young engineering students must learn how to design, manage, and implement complex innovation projects. For this purpose, a teaching framework for combining research-, project-, and case-based learning is presented. A proof-of-concept discusses the design, implementation, and evaluation of a master’s course at the University of Southern Denmark while following the teaching framework. The evaluation of the students’ learning outcomes demonstrates the basic efficacy of the framework. A self-assessment by the students showed a sufficient increase in skills and competencies. The proposed teaching framework can contribute to realizing the Humboldtian idea of integrating research and teaching at universities. ; Research in higher manufacturing engineering education must continuously adapt to current and future challenges manufacturing companies are facing. Young engineering students must learn how to design, manage, and implement complex innovation projects. For this purpose, a teaching framework for combining research-, project-, and case-based learning is presented. A proof-of-concept discusses the design, implementation, and evaluation of a master’s course at the University of Southern Denmark while following the teaching framework. The evaluation of the students’ learning outcomes demonstrates the basic efficacy of the framework. A self-assessment by the students showed a sufficient increase in skills and competencies. The proposed teaching framework can contribute to realizing the Humboldtian idea of integrating research and teaching at universities.