This study aims to explore students' learning effectiveness in energy education that integrates STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) activities and PBL (project-based learning). The subjects of experimental teaching were 32 junior engineering students enrolled in a project-based course in a Taiwanese university, and this study held a 9-week activity - "STEM & PBL Activities for the Innovative Design of Fuel-efficient Vehicles". In the activity, the integrated thinking emphasized by STEM plays a dominant role when combined with project-based learning strategies. The students took the main role in the course, while the teacher provided guidance to the students in learning and monitored their learning progress. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were adopted in this study: the qualitative analysis focused on students' projects, and interviews were conducted to understand students' opinions on the teaching activities; the quantitative results were analyzed and discussed. The STEM & PBL energy course covers various disciplines, such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, yielding a significant positive effect on learning effectiveness in the field of energy education. The teaching mode of the course includes four aspects: the students discuss real energy problems to deepen their integrated STEM knowledge and abilities; the students work on actual fuel-efficient projects, with focus on integrated STEM learning; the students implement the project based on the STEM knowledge they learn from the energy education course; and the teacher promotes the learning portfolio of STEM and energy education. Based on the above conclusions, this study offers suggestions for teaching and future studies. © 2017 TEMPUS Publications.
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