When schools went remote last spring, educators had to get creative to continue instruction without sacrificing student engagement. Many embraced project-based learning, an instructional model that takes a learning-by-doing approach, and found ways to integrate it into online instruction.

Research shows that PBL can help students build 21st-century skills such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity. It also gives students agency in their learning and lends itself to a more authentic assessment of their skills and capabilities. Plus, PBL allows students to learn about and reflect on real-world problems through well-designed projects and self-evaluation.