Challenge-Based and Community-Based Teaching and Learning in Engineering and STEM Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "STEM Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 May 2024 | Viewed by 6241

Special Issue Editors

Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 1 UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
Interests: engineering education; integrated subjects; teaching and learning approaches in higher education; challenge-based or problem-based pedagogical approaches; asset-based instructional frameworks for bilingual learners that encourage young students from diverse backgrounds to excel in mathematics and science courses; community-based and social justice research in engineering education
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14380, Mexico
Interests: analyzing the acquisition of knowledge and the development of both disciplinary and transversal skills through teaching–learning processes using didactic techniques, such as challenge-based learning; research on STEM student development; research on approaches to lesson planning for successful instruction
Department of Engineering Technology, Texas State University, 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
Interests: active teaching and learning; fostering student engagement; interest; understanding and comprehension; project-based learning; problem-based learning; peer teaching; peer scaffolding; challenge-based learning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fields of engineering education and STEM education continue to grow with the implementation of refined instructional approaches that use theoretical frameworks related to motivating youths to pursue STEM career paths and theories on how people learn. It should also be noted that the young generations of future engineers are socially aware and concerned about the diversity of communities.

Challenge-based teaching and learning form part of an active learning instructional strategy that has found much success across higher education settings. In addition, community-based learning is another instructional strategy intended to integrate student learning in engineering courses with community engagement opportunities.

Framed by the above context, this Special Issue is focused on important innovations of two kinds, which are as follows: (1) those described as challenge-based research initiatives; (2) those offered as community-based learning projects in higher education and (3) those research-based interventions that combine both challenge-based and community-based teaching and learning. Authors are encouraged to “tell their respective stories”, i.e., provide salient details about the specifications for the implementation design(s), need and opportunity, descriptions of the consequential choices made in the projects selected, and analysis of the impact data collected, if available.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  • Challenge-based learning experiences in various fields of engineering (industrial, biomedical, mechanical, biotechnology, etc.);
  • STEM education projects with underserved communities/community-based research;
  • Community-based research approaches to learning and teaching engineering design;
  • Engineering for the wellbeing of communities, social justice, and sustainability;
  • Community-based engineering;
  • Problem-based teaching and learning in various fields of engineering;
  • Project-based teaching and learning in K-12 engineering and STEM education.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Araceli Martinez Ortiz
Prof. Dr. Jorge Membrillo-Hernández
Dr. Anthony S. Torres
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • engineering education
  • STEM education
  • active-based
  • challenge-based
  • teaching
  • community-based
  • learning
  • engineering
  • design
  • diversity

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4004 KiB  
Article
Implementation of a Mixed Strategy of Gamification and Flipped Learning in Undergraduate Basic Programming Courses
by Gilberto Huesca, Gabriela Campos, Mónica Larre and Claudia Pérez-Lezama
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 474; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13050474 - 06 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2095
Abstract
The post-pandemic stage has accelerated the search for innovative ways that impact the teaching–learning process. Flipped learning and gamification have been used as active learning strategies to increase motivation and student learning gains. Both strategies have shown positive results when applied alone and [...] Read more.
The post-pandemic stage has accelerated the search for innovative ways that impact the teaching–learning process. Flipped learning and gamification have been used as active learning strategies to increase motivation and student learning gains. Both strategies have shown positive results when applied alone and when compared to traditional modalities. In this work, we present a quantitative study that was applied to 414 students throughout a complete course of basic programming, divided into four groups: (1) group that applied flipped learning using videos, (2) group that applied outside-class gamification, (3) group that applied both strategies, and (4) control group. A pretest–posttest process, with 96 true or false questions test, was applied to the groups to find out the normalized learning achievements of the students. A statistical analysis found that the students in groups 1 and 2 performed significantly better (+9%) than the students in the control group. In addition, the students of group 3 had a lower performance than the students of groups 1 and 2 (−10%). Our results confirm that active learning in a flipped classroom and the use of gamification can be useful and strategic tools for advancing the new way of educating in the post-pandemic period. Full article
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23 pages, 1488 KiB  
Article
Taking the Challenge: An Exploratory Study of the Challenge-Based Learning Context in Higher Education Institutions across Three Different Continents
by Antoine van den Beemt, Patricia Vázquez-Villegas, Sonia Gómez Puente, Fiona O’Riordan, Clare Gormley, Feng-Kuang Chiang, Chuntao Leng, Patricia Caratozzolo, Genaro Zavala and Jorge Membrillo-Hernández
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 234; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13030234 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3185
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 [...] Read more.
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. Full article
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