Integrating Project-Based Learning with Teaching-Learning-Assessment Alignment: A Case Study of “Integrated Communication and Navigation Signal Design and Acquisition”

Abstract

This study addresses the persistent gaps in engineering graduate education—theory application disconnection, insufficient practical demand traction, and one-dimensional assessment—by proposing a deeply integrated pedagogical model that merges project-based learning (PBL) with teaching-learning-assessment alignment. Using the engineering topic of “integrated communication and navigation signal design and acquisition” for low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations as a case, we detail the design rationale and implementation. The model follows a real engineering workflow (“demand analysis–problem definition–solution design–test verification”) and embeds formative and summative assessment throughout the PBL cycle. Teaching practice shows that the approach effectively enhances students’ innovative practice and complex problem-solving abilities, as evidenced by their success in national discipline competitions. The findings offer insights for cultivating higher-order thinking and innovation in engineering graduates, and for talent-training reform in the context of new quality productive forces.