ABSTRACT
This research aims to identify online challenge-based learning (CBL) that builds on the problem-based learning practice to support professors working in two Mexican institutions with solutions to six social challenges defined by the institutions. Thirty-five professors from Tecnologico de Monterrey participated in developing the solutions related to given challenges by taking a social approach. For this activity, an online training session of one week was organized by the Faculty Development and Educational Innovation Center (CEDDIE) of Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico City, Mexico. The data was collected through an online survey based on quantitative and qualitative questionnaires. We received fifteen complete responses out of thirty-five. Analyzing the results of this study affirmed that online CBL activities served professors to promote social interactions, develop pedagogical competencies, and share knowledge based on their learning experience through active collaboration with peers in the same institutions but from different disciplines and campuses to identify and solve existing societal issues. © 2023 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic brought confinement that caused a drastic change throughout society. Mobility was reduced, education suffered a substantive change, distance learning, and digital skills were developed. Climate change and environmental pollution indicators indeed decreased. However, the quantification of the environmental footprint of the new form of remote work (digital carbon footprint) has not been considered in systematic studies. There are not many tools to calculate the corresponding emissions. The main objective of this educational research work was to determine the carbon footprint of digital activities in a company during the confinement caused by COVID-19 through a Challenge-Based Learning methodology. A one-semester academic program was designed to develop energy auditing skills for students of Sustainable Development Engineering. A company (training partner) was determined to validate the evaluation instruments. Techniques for data collection, questionnaires, and analysis of energy consumption data were designed. A helpful protocol was defined to determine the digital carbon footprint generated in the pilot company, allowing us to scale our research towards quantifying Greenhouse Gas emissions in Institutions or Companies of greater size. The soft and disciplinary graduation competencies of the students were solidly developed and evaluated through internal instruments and by the training partner standards. Finally, we propose mitigation measures aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, in line with the new Green and Sustainable Digital Education trend. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
The evolution of curricula in recent decades has given rise to multiple ways of teaching the task of experimental science, through which research skills are developed. In this learning gain process, teaching the systematized steps of the scientific method has been of invaluable help. In this study, we wanted to determine under what contexts of the last century the knowledge of the scientific method has encouraged the development of research skills in higher education learners. Through a literature review yielding nineteen empirical articles in the SCOPUS and Web of Science databases between 2000 and 2022, it was found that the scientific method is rarely mentioned and is more often referred to as a set of steps or structures to solve a problem, a challenge, or to carry out an investigation or an assigned task. Problem-solving and critical thinking were the two most-cited skills developed through the knowledge and practice of the scientific method. There are skills developed in theoretical classes and others that can be developed in practical courses such as laboratories or field work. A gap was found in the literature on using the scientific method and developing research skills in learners of non-science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The findings of this review lead studies to determine and compare whether effectively teaching students the scientific method improves their understanding and development of research skills in STEM and non-STEM areas.
ABSTRACT
The appearance of COVID 19 caused the closure of many higher education institution facilities across the world and Mexico was no exception. This situation interrupted normal teaching and learning activities, fostering the search and development of tools which can guarantee the continuation of learning and teaching activities. Accordingly, this article describes the need for a tool to support learning activities within the context of a challenge-based learning approach. Consequently, after a search for an existing tool it was decided to design a tool suitable for competence development through challenge-based learning. Thus, a mobile app named Klever 21 was designed and released as a test version for this purpose. Additionally, this mobile app is associated with a web platform to aid project management and student competence evaluations. This article describes the main features of Klever 21 which is currently being tested at Tecnologico de Monterrey. This technology represents an evolution of mobile app technologies to face disruptive situations in higher education institutions. © 2021 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
The extraordinary measures taken by Spain to address the COVID-19 health crisis forced schools to move their face-to-face teaching activity to an on-line mode. Physical Education (PE) teachers faced a new challenge: to adapt the contents of the subject, mainly practical and social to a virtual education, based mainly on digital resources. However, this adaptation can be much more complex in the most disadvantaged or rural areas where many students have a significant digital bias: either they do not have access to the Internet, or they do not have acquired adequate competences for its use. Therefore, the purpose of this retrospective case study is to present the teaching-learning processes and pedagogical strategies that the teachers of a rural (grouped) school of La Alcarria Conquense carried out during the lockdown of the 2019-2020 academic course. In this way, first of all, the tools and media used for communication between teachers and families, the special projects and resources mobilized, as well as the evaluation process during the cessation of face-to-face teaching activities are analyzed. Next, the main response observed by the entire school community to this new situation were described. In general terms, a solid commitment of students and families to the activities and challenges proposed in the EF classes has been observed. Finally, possible actions for the next academic year are proposed depending on the social and health situation that may arise. Alternate : Las medidas extraordinarias tomadas por España para hacer frente a la crisis sanitaria de la COVID-19 obligaron a los centros educativos a trasladar su actividad docente presencial a una modalidad on-line. Los docentes de Educación Física (EF) se enfrentaron al reto de adaptar las competencias y contenidos de una asignatura principalmente práctica y con un importante componente socioafectivo a una educación remota, basada fundamentalmente en medios digitales. No obstante, esta adaptación es mucho más compleja en las zonas más desfavorecidas o rurales en donde muchos alumnos tienen un importante sesgo digital: o bien no tienen acceso a Internet, o no han adquirido las competencias oportunas para su uso. El propósito del presente estudio de caso retrospectivo es exponer los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje y las estrategias didácticas que los maestros de un Colegio Rural Agrupado (CRA) de La Alcarria Conquense llevaron a cabo durante el confinamiento del curso académico 2019-2020. De esta forma, en primer lugar, se analizan las herramientas empleadas para la comunicación entre maestros y familias incluyendo tanto vías convencionales como digitales, los proyectos especiales y recursos movilizados, así como el proceso de evaluación durante el cese de actividad docente presencial. A continuación, se describe la respuesta observada por toda la comunidad educativa del colegio ante esta nueva situación. De manera general, se ha observado un sólido compromiso de los alumnos y familias en las actividades de las clases de EF. Finalmente, se plantean posibles acciones para los siguientes cursos académicos, supeditado por la situación sociosanitaria que se presente.Alternate :As extraordinárias medidas tomadas pela Espanha para enfrentar a crise sanitária do COVID-19 obrigaram as escolas a transferirem a sua atividade de ensino presencial para a modalidade online. Os professores de Educação Física (EF) enfrentaram o desafio de adaptar as competências e os conteúdos de uma disciplina essencialmente prática com uma importante componente socioafetiva para uma educação a distância, baseada principalmente nos meios digitais. No entanto, essa adaptação é muito mais complexa nas áreas mais desfavorecidas ou rurais, onde muitos alunos têm um viés digital significativo: ou eles não têm acesso à Internet ou não adquiriram as habilidades adequadas para usá-la. O objetivo deste estudo de caso retrospectivo é expor os processos de ensino-aprendizagem e as estratégias didáticas que os professores de uma Escola Ag upada Rural (CRA) de La Alcarria Conquense desenvolveram durante o confinamento do ano letivo 2019-2020. Desta forma, em primeiro lugar, são analisadas as ferramentas utilizadas para a comunicação entre professores e famílias, incluindo canais convencionais e digitais, projetos especiais e recursos mobilizados, bem como o processo de avaliação durante a cessação do ensino presencial. atividade. A seguir, descreve-se a resposta observada por toda a comunidade educacional da escola a esta nova situação. De uma forma geral, observa-se um sólido comprometimento dos alunos e familiares nas atividades das aulas de EF. Por fim, são propostas possíveis ações para os cursos acadêmicos subseqüentes, conforme a situação sócio-sanitária que surgir.
ABSTRACT
Mobile application development requires fast development due to shorter go-to market initiatives. In this context, understanding agile teams is crucial for the mobile software development industry. Thus, identifying and understanding enablers and inhibitors of agile teams in active learning environments has become a research opportunity among the software engineering research community and it is the main goal of this study. To achieve this study goal, we have performed a one-month case study with 50 individuals as part of a two-year mobile development course that teaches iOS development to undergraduate students in a Challenge Based Learning environment. In the course, students experience an agile environment developing mobile applications, dedicating 20 hours a week for the development of real world projects. The case study was conducted in two stages, both of which were held during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the first stage, we have found 33 positive aspects as well as 33 negative aspects reported by participants. However, on the second stage participants have reported 30 positive aspects and 35 negative aspects. The set of both positive aspects and negative aspects partially repeats from the first stage to the second stage. We concluded that team relationship, communication and engagement positively influence mobile application development in agile environments. At the same time, this study also presented negative influences for mobile application development teams, such as teams working remotely (because of COVID-19), lack of knowledge and bad planning. CCS CONCEPTS • Social and professional topics → Software engineering education;• Applied computing → Interactive learning environments;Collaborative learning. © 2022 ACM.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent restrictive measures adopted by the countries have significantly reduced the capacity of higher education institutions to carry out innovative international teaching and learning activities. This paper provides a short reconstruction of how the seven European universities, members of the Arqus Alliance, handled this challenge. During 2020-21, that is, in full pandemic, the Arqus partners redesigned and implemented a trans-European challenge-based learning (CBL) project involving university students from many disciplinary fields, including social sciences and natural sciences, focused on climate change-related risks in European cities and areas. Based on this experience, a contingent conceptualization of CBL is proposed, comprising eight characteristics, whose effectiveness is then tested against data provided by students who participated in the courses. In this context, the results of a Likert questionnaire distributed to students from participating universities will be discussed. The analysis is meant to provide a deeper understanding of CBL not only as a pedagogical tool for a specific output, but also as a broader learning experience generating outcomes for teachers who plan and deliver CBL activities, and for the beneficiaries of such activities. In other words, the article aims to highlight some enabling and inhibiting factors of "strategic CBL"-this latter expression is supposed to capture the process of designing and implementing a CBL activity as a CBL practice in itself.
ABSTRACT
This article describes a data science challenge-based learning experience introduced to non-IT second-year engineering students. The methodology proposed in this article was successful in the short introductory course. The students presented well-considered, practical solutions to two challenges of a different nature derived from excellent, quality data processing. The students used free-access databases from Airbnb and Johns Hopkins University to tackle both challenges. Although the students' data analysis methods corresponded more to data analytics, the two student teams incorporated Machine Learning techniques and exceeded our initial expectations. The selection of the programming environment for this experience was a crucial issue addressed in this article. To illustrate the students' work in the course using this methodology, we present a selection of their results, including a new index to measure the degree of herd immunity in a country, relating this index with the possible appearance of a new strain of COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
Universities face the challenges of an integrated, globalized world and new competencies required in the job market. In recent years, our institution, a large private multi-campus Mexican university, has been preparing for these new challenges by migrating its educational model from a traditional lecture modality to challenge-based learning, emphasizing competencies instead of educational objectives. Students take the Exploration Elective course during the third semester, a course outside their discipline, to explore another field. The School of Engineering and Sciences offers various Exploration Elective courses based on four avenues: Bioengineering and Chemical Process, Innovation and Transformation, Computer Science and Information Technologies, and Applied Sciences. In this contribution, we present the design of the Exploration Elective course and its implementation with large classes during the Covid-19 pandemic through synchronous distance education. We surveyed 649 students after they completed the class. They were enrolled in eight different courses at all 25 campuses. We report an overview of students' satisfaction with their achievement of the course's objectives, the implementation, the coordination among the professors, and the students' perceptions of the time and difficulty demands. The survey results showed a high level of student satisfaction with the exploration elective courses offered by the School of Engineering and Sciences. The course provided students from vastly different academic backgrounds the opportunity to learn about Science and Engineering through challenge-solving. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
ABSTRACT
Our institution, a private multi-campus Mexican university, is changing its educational model from traditional lecture instruction to challenge-based learning that emphasizes the development of specific competencies. Entering the School of Engineering and Sciences, students take the Engineering and Science Modeling course to introduce students to the university and its educational model by exploring four avenues: Bioengineering and Chemical Process, Innovation and Transformation, Computer Science and Information Technologies, and Applied Sciences. In this contribution, we report an overview of student satisfaction toward achieving the course's specific objectives, the students' perception of the importance of each avenue, and their perceptions of difficulty and time demands. We surveyed 1,499 students enrolled in programs in all four avenues of the School of Engineering and Sciences after completing the introductory course. The overall results of the survey showed a high level of student satisfaction. The students perceived that the course effectively conveyed the avenue contents and how the educational model works to develop and assess competencies. They valued having explored the different avenues of the school. The results also highlighted areas to improve to save students time in implemented activities. The latter could be due to the course's implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic, i.e., through synchronous distance education. Finally, the course also helped students reflect on their degree choices by making them solve problems they would not have faced if they did not take the course. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced significant changes to academic activities, while at the same time highlighting inequalities, opportunities, and challenges to the way scholars, practitioners, and policymakers alike respond to the new realities in peri- and post-pandemic times. This chapter explores digital transformations to challenge-based learning by examining three Prepr case studies to consider how digital-enabled interventions can mitigate disruptions to education. These collaborative initiatives provide rich examples of academic developments at the intersection of innovation and knowledge production. We argue that digital capacities and knowledge policies must be developed not only as a temporary stop-gap measure during periods of disruption but should explicitly foster learning pathways to complement and strengthen knowledge acquisition beyond COVID-19. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
Our senses act as sensors that allow us to receive the information of the reality that we perceive, either in isolation or because of their crossing. During the block’s challenge called: Formal Representation of Space (FRS), the aim is for higher education students to enjoy an immersive and experimental experience in understanding space through sensory perceptions, taking the students through its material and virtual representation by drawing techniques, both analogue and virtual;putting into practice themes of geometry, perspective, technologies in art, models, and prototypes. The block is based in Challenged-based learning (CBL) and the challenge in Competency-based learning that “Tec-21” offers to the first year Creative Studies professional students. The group is formed from students of several areas such as Architecture, Industrial Design, Educative Innovation, Hispanic Letters, Journalism, Musical Production, Digital Art, Communication, which lead to conformed multidisciplinary teams. The project consists of designing a Sensorial Booth (SB), an installation that seeks to generate a space in which the perception of the environment can be highlighted through the senses in a playful and interactive way. The main objective is to involve the students in a real challenge while acquiring knowledge through a creative project, as well as interacting with a real space of a real institution, which is one of the main purposes of the CBL. Beyond the creative experience that led to the process of conceptualization and materialization 1:1 scale of the Sensorial Booth, prior to confinement by COVID-19, the students realized the importance of giving a comprehensive and memorable sensory experience to people without the need to be connected to a device, while immersing in the reflection of reconnecting with themselves and with the natural environment that surrounded this installation. Regarding to the learning experience, the students enjoyed the challenged offered by the Educational Innovation programme, Block Tec21, doing the most they enjoy, creating, using technology, working with real materials, and collaborating with real former partners. © PDE 2021.