Taking the Challenge: An Exploratory Study of the Challenge-Based Learning Context in Higher Education Institutions across Three Different Continents

Abstract

Teaching by subjects and contents where students passively receive knowledge is increasingly obsolete. Universities are opting for teaching strategies supporting skills development to face the labor, social, environmental, and economic conditions afflicting us. Employers demand increasingly complex skills; universities have identified experiential learning as giving access to real situations and learning by doing. One of the most advanced strategies is Challenge-Based Learning (CBL). Through real problem situations, faculty and students collaborate to solve an established challenge, with or without external stakeholders. This educational advancement has been global and is developing graduates with international skills, which ensures a world-class standard. Here we report a global study carried out in universities from three different continents, and we analyze the implementations of CBL in educational programs through cases in Mexico, The Netherlands, Ireland, and China. Developing skills and competencies is evident, and CBL is a viable way to ensure the success of Higher Education graduates. Obstacles in the transformation of faculty towards CBL are a similar fence in all cases. For CBL, the path needs to be explored, as it is on the frontline of educational developments that can be most helpful for developing a new paradigm in education.

Estrategias de enseñanza para el logro de competencias

“…Al contrastar los resultados de este estudio con las investigaciones de Solorzano et al, (2020), Venkatraman et al, (2022), Umaña-Mata (2020), Van den Beemt et al, (2023) y Acevedo et al, (2023, se pueden identificar varios aspectos importantes en diferentes dimensiones.…”

“…La enseñanza por materias y contenidos, en la que los alumnos reciben conocimientos de forma pasiva, está cada vez más desfasada. Las universidades están apostando por estrategias pedagógicas que apoyen el desarrollo de competencias en respuesta a las condiciones laborales, sociales, ambientales y económicas que nos aquejan (Van den Beemt et al, 2023).…”

Sustainability and challenge-based learning in higher education

“…Una de las ventajas que se atribuye al ABR es que el objeto de estudio se centra en problemas del mundo real para los que se buscan soluciones reales que los propios estudiantes implementen ( Van den Beemt, et al, 2023). Si bien a nivel teórico se anima a buscar soluciones reales a problemas del entorno, no resulta sencillo hacerlo en los cursos iniciales, tanto por razones de organización debido a los tamaños de los grupos, como por el nivel de madurez e implicación de los discentes (Sein-Echaluce, Fidalgo-Blanco & García-Peñalvo, 2021), además del tiempo necesario para realizar un reto, presentando al alumnado una problemática real sin descuidar las competencias específicas.…”

“…El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar una vía para integrar el desarrollo sostenible en las titulaciones universitarias, específicamente a través de la metodología de Aprendizaje Basado en Retos (ABR) ( Van den Beemt, et al, 2023). El consenso para la definición de desarrollo sostenible lo encontramos en la Agenda 2030 (Naciones Unidas, 2015).…”

Adding Machine-Learning Functionality to Real Equipment for Water Preservation: An Evaluation Case Study in Higher Education

“…Participants are encouraged to develop increasing interest for the subjects to be studied motivated by the significance of the problems to be addressed and their impact on society and well-being. Indeed, the CBL model has been applied to a large extend in higher education for groups of undergraduate students [58][59][60], and postgraduate students [61] and the results were positive, showing that the participants came up with innovative ideas to resolve challenges and improved skills and competencies. The benefits of the PBL [3] and CL [62] approaches, in terms of practicality and methodology, can be combined [63] and reinforced by the CBL technique to maximize the educational outcomes.…”