ABSTRACT
In project-based learning (PBL), faculty act as facilitators more than lecturers, posing ill-structured problems which students respond to collectively and with a large degree of self-direction. This chapter explores the use of PBL, particularly when it exemplifies culturally responsive education, for graduate and professional school students. Graduate and professional students are good candidates for the benefits of PBL, particularly because they are self-directed learners ready to apply their coursework to professional aspirations (or current status). But these characteristics do not negate the role of faculty; instead, through PBL, they help to transform it. This brief survey of graduate education reveals a variety of faculty practices which build off of and contribute to the PBL framework. Legal, medical, social work, and educational programs all foster sustained engagement and collaboration between students and faculty, as well as autonomy in structures. Crucially, much of the theoretical literature and pedagogical practices around PBL point toward equity-minded inquiries, inquiries which call for sustained, collaborative engagement between faculty and students.
