Exploring student learning gains in challenge-based learning through students' reflections

As recent societal and economic changes pose increasingly complex and ill-defined challenges to today’s students, many educators call for learning
environments that allow for distributed and co-operative learning through social interactions in representative authentic, real life contexts. One such approach is
challenge-based learning (CBL), which involves open-ended challenges or problems from real world practice that require students to work in interdisciplinary teams. Apart from fostering students’ self-regulation and motivation, educators hope for students to acquire real-world knowledge and develop skills they can use to solve complex problems for the rest of their lives, such as self-awareness, self-leadership, teamwork, and an entrepreneurial mindset. As students’ prerequisites and learning goals for CBL may differ, it is important studying end-of-semester reflections to understand students’ learning gains. Written reflections from 19 Masters-degree students regarding the approach, analysis, synthesis, interdisciplinarity, skills and behaviour, as well as personal and team development were content-analysed for students’ learning gains. 47 categories emerged, that showed students’ focus to lie on group work, project management and problem-solving skills. While since these learnings were newer and more intense for students, further practice should also guide students to relate learning in CBL to subject-specific content knowledge.