Given the importance of globalization as well as the need to train skilled and knowledgeable employees for the 21st century workforce, higher education needs to take a more critical look at the educational practices and instructional methods which lead to improvements in students' essential skills such as self-directed learning. This study sought to examine the effects of project-based learning (PoBL) strategy on students' self-directed learning skills in a system-based education course offered in the educational technology department of Arak University in Iran. In order to achieve this end, a sample of 78 students in the field of educational technology who enrolled in the system-based education course was selected. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two groups: the experimental group (PoBL strategy) and control group (conventional teaching strategy). The self-directed learning readiness scale (SDLRS) was administrated three times (i.e. pretest, post-test one, and post-test two). The experimental group received the PoBL strategy and the control group was exposed to conventional teaching (CT) methods. The results of two-way repeated measure ANOVA tests revealed that students who were taught using PoBL strategy performed significantly better in terms of self-directed learning skills than did students who were taught using CT strategy.