Simulation-driven Project-Based Learning with Microdrones in Engineering Education

Abstract

Engineering education is undergoing a global transformation to bridge the longstanding gap between theoretical instruction and real-world competencies. This paper presents a simulation-driven, project-based learning (PBL) model centred on a multi-semester microdrone design project. The EU-funded DigitALL initiative supports this approach, which combines advanced simulation (CAD/FEA and control) with dedicated PBL spaces, BSc and MSc mentoring, and Faculty Learning Communities to align learning outcomes with the requirements of modern engineering practice. Positioned as a design-based research case, the work orchestrates a staged pipeline that spans ideation and modelling, through prototyping, testing, and optimisation. It specifies an a priori evaluation protocol that combines EUR-ACE-aligned performance rubrics with a brief pre- and post-concept test, engagement measures, and process analytics. The first implementation of the program shows positive results for task completion, iteration discipline, and self-reported systems thinking. However, the full outcome analysis, including learning gains, reliability, and retention, will be conducted in the following student groups. The contribution is a replicable orchestration that connects simulation and physical prototyping in a curriculum-wide loop, supported by a constructive-alignment matrix linking phases to intended competencies. The research demonstrates how microdrone-based simulation-driven PBL creates a scalable competency-based framework for engineering curriculum renewal, which can be adapted to other STEM fields. The proposed framework offers a transferable, evidence-based model for simulation-driven curriculum reform. It supports accreditation alignment and can inform engineering-education policy across European higher-education institutions.