University lecturer Sikke Jansma took part in challenge-based learning at ECIU University. He enthusiastically talks about this new way of teaching and learning.
‘As a teacher, you have a coaching role in challenge-based learning (CBL). And that takes some getting used to. The students set their own learning goals, for example, and they all have a different educational background. That means that, as a teacher, you don’t have all the knowledge. That is quite exciting. During my project, a participant had a civil engineering background. Completely different compared to my communication background, but that doesn’t matter. It was my job to guide, motivate and coach the students. You guide the students in their teamwork, how they can give feedback on their results to the client, you motivate them when things get tough and you help them to find the information they need. Very instructive. It’s important that as a teacher you’re open to different forms of teaching and the corresponding feedback you receive.’
Open structure
‘The best thing about challenge-based learning is the innovative nature of this form of education. Moreover, it is a concept that links students from all over Europe because they are working on the same challenge. The structure is very open and the students are problem owners in every respect. They are responsible for defining the challenge and they have to organise the surrounding process themselves, such as the frequency of consultation, teamwork, who does what and the research. They are a consultancy firm, as it were.’
Mobility hub
‘My challenge was about a new mobility hub around the Enschede train station. The assignment came from the municipality of Enschede. The question was about making the station area future-proof, looking beyond buses and trains. The students, two UT graduates and two from Hamburg University of Technology, ultimately delivered an advisory report containing a 3D design of how the station could look, both architecturally and functionally.’
Next step
‘The students were satisfied with the result. They did find the openness of the challenge difficult. They missed a structure, but that has now been built in. I see CBL as the next step after the Twente Educational Model (TOM). Within the UT, we are already very innovative in terms of education, and this is another step forward. If you are open to a new way of teaching, then challenge-based learning is certainly interesting.’
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Would you like to know more about challenge-based learning? Send an e-mail to cbl-ces@twente.nl
