Theoretical Foundations of Project Based Curricula in Higher Education

Globalization of knowledge, development in society, culture, politics, economy, technology and industry, change in quality, national and international competition, and the knowledge, skills and competences demanded from the individuals in professional life lead to radical changes in education and instruction. This worldwide change requires the reconstruction of educational systems and development of new curricula. The educational level where the need for restructuring is felt most is higher education. Within this context, higher education curricula should align with the qualifications of the 21st century, which is also called information age. The purpose of this literature review study is to explain the key characteristics of PBL (project-based learning) curricula as follows: the historical development of PBL, key characteristics of PBL, the characteristics of PBL curriculum components and PBL curriculum strategies in higher education. As PBL curricula, which support all the roles that universities should have (education, research, knowledge production and service to the community), are appropriate for the new generation universities, they should be analyzed through more research and within different aspects