International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract

The rapid digital transformation of education requires universities to develop students’ professional competence through innovative and practice-oriented learning approaches. In this context, team-based Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning combined with digital project activities has become an important pedagogical strategy for improving students’ practical, communicative, and technological skills. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of team-based STEM learning and digital projects in supporting students’ professional competence formation. The study employed an Educational Design Research (EDR) approach combined with a quasi-experimental design. A total of 150 students from L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University participated in the research and were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in team-based STEM activities involving digital project development, while the control group studied using traditional instructional methods. Data was collected through professional competence assessment scales, observation checklists, expert evaluation sheets, and student feedback questionnaires. The reliability of the research instruments was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.84 to 0.91. The results demonstrated that the proposed model had a high level of practicality, with an average implementation rate of 86%. The findings also revealed a significant improvement in the professional competence of students in the experimental group compared to the control group. The N-gain value of 0.38 indicates a moderate improvement, suggesting that the intervention produced meaningful but not maximal growth in professional competence. The most noticeable improvements were observed in digital project development, teamwork, and the practical application of STEM knowledge. The study offers practical implications for STEM lecturers by showing how structured teamwork, role distribution, digital project tasks, and competency-based assessment can be integrated into higher education courses.