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4 Benefits of Using Project-Based Learning in Business Studies

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Project-based learning imitates real-world business settings and situations. It helps students get a broader picture of what the business world entails.

As more small- and medium-sized enterprises continue to boom worldwide, learning institutions are incorporating project-based learning to match this wave. This approach aims to empower students to come up with great ideas that will affect the business world by finding solutions to existing problems. Below are the core benefits of using project-based learning in business schools.

project-based learning

Project-Based Learning Offers a Real Business Setting

With all the challenges in the business arena, preparing and familiarizing yourself with the hurdles will make things lighter when you eventually join an industry. It is vital that schools equip students with the skills and experience the real business environment requires.

Students can more easily acquire the skill sets and experience they need through project-based learning. This is because this method of learning encourages students to set up real businesses. For example, they can create a construction company that hires contractors. Then, they must communicate with staff members. They must also develop a team of sales representatives to market the company’s services and work with designers who develop the projects the company takes on.

Students monitor their colleagues and will even feel the disappointment of having teammates who do not deliver. Additionally, they will learn how to appreciate workmates and work in teams. And in case of challenges, they will learn to come up with solutions together.  

This approach also includes internship programs in the curriculum, whereby students work within established corporations to learn first-hand about how businesses operate. This type of learning takes them far beyond the theories they learn about in the classroom. Internships broaden students’ perspectives and bring to light some of the inner workings of the business world they cannot learn by simply sitting in a classroom.

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It Provides Opportunities for Gaining the Attention of Possible Mentors

It is high time we move away from the notion that only teachers can guide students in their academic path. Every member of the community has a role to play. Project-based learning brings out these roles since students get the chance to look for mentors who play roles similar to the ones they are assigned.

For example, a student assigned a sales and marketing role will look for a sales and marketing specialist. This person will then guide them in performing their duties.  

Furthermore, during internships, students often have supervisors who guide and teach them the norms of their occupation. Thus, this type of learning encourages an early mentorship program. This then inspires students to step up in whatever role they have when they join the job market.

Project-Based Assignments Promote Long-Term Learning

Sometimes, reading many pages and attending many classes becomes tiresome. Most students have a hard time concentrating and understanding what their professors try to teach in class. Therefore, if given an assignment, it wouldn’t be strange for them to think of an essay writing service.

However, project-based learning involves the students being hands-on. This engages students and helps them understand the concepts they are trying to learn. This type of education brings students’ attention to a specific problem and a possible solution. Consequently, learners start to engage with the project, and it becomes easier for them to remember what they have learned.

It Helps Students Choose and Build Their Career Path

Many students have have not yet figured out which field of business they want to venture into. Nor do they understand what they want to do with the knowledge they are acquiring. Therefore, by assigning them projects or placing them in internship positions, it becomes easier for them to identify with the various areas of business. They might even gravitate toward an interest in a certain area.

Furthermore, project-based learning boosts skills such as communication and problem-solving. These skills are mandatory for any career to be successful. Therefore, mastering them early can give students an upper hand in the job market.

Project-Based Learning Provides Students with Real Life Skills

Success in an educational institution entails scoring straight A’s and being at the top of the class. However, project-based learning redefines this idea. This is because a student’s skills and academic competence are not one and the same. In other words, they can excel in class, but then they must also put into practice what they have learned when professors assign them real issues to handle.

The business world is evolving fast. Therefore, it is critical to adjust learning strategies so that students can familiarize themselves with what is actually happening in the world of business.