Challenge-based learning during the pandemic for engineering courses based on competencies

Full Paper; Innovate Practice. Challenge-based learning has been a key component of Tecnologico de Monterrey’s Tec21 disruptive educational model, which focuses on the development of competencies through working on a solution to a real-life, ad-hoc challenge. A brief description of the previous Tec20 and current Tec21 models is presented. The first part of this work presents a comparison of four Tec21 physics courses with 185 students working face-to-face and 205 students working online. The average challenge report score was 5% higher for the online courses than for the face-to-face courses. This difference was significant at α = 0.05 level through t-tests. Closer monitoring by the instructor to achieve course objectives or less rigorous course evaluation policies might have favored the online courses. The second part of this research compares the average grades of the Tec21 model vs. the Tec20 model, based on traditional Problem-Based Learning (PBL). A comparison of Tec20 PBL reports (372 students) and Tec21 Challenge reports (205 students) taking Electricity and Magnetism courses is presented. Average report grades were 3–7% higher for the Tec21 model than for the Tec20 model. The Tec21 model contains promising features, but a more rigorous evaluation approach is suggested.

I. Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions all around the world to quickly move from a face-to-face (hereafter F2F) model to online instruction to give continuity to students’ learning [1]-[5]. The pandemic imposed a two-year pause which allowed researchers to compare online student performance with F2F interaction. Therefore, there has been an increasing interest in the academic community to assess the effectiveness of online instruction as compared to F2F education [6]-[10].