Abstract:

The world is changing rapidly as a result traditional teaching and learning methods may become less effective at engaging students and motivating them. Challenge-based learning is a multidisciplinary approach to learning where the students are active participants in the learning experience, they formulate the questions, investigate widely with cooperation with different stakeholders and disciplines, aim to solve real-world problems, build new understanding, meaning, and knowledge, and collaboratively develop solutions that are environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. In the DIFUCH project, we are developing innovative challenge-based pedagogies, tools, and platforms for the virtual delivery of a joint programme within a groundbreaking and flexible academic structure in Europe. This programme is focused on delivering new multi-disciplinary, transnational, cross-sectoral future skills-orientated modules and learning pathways that address pressing societal challenges. DIFUCH is a two-year project funded by Erasmus+ Programme, European Commission as a cooperation partnership in Higher Education involving three partners from Portugal, The Netherlands and Ireland. The DIFUCH project will develop a new model for challenge-based learning, where the physical campus is complemented with an online, open collaborative, and inclusive platform. Digital learning will enhance the regional impact of existing partner institutions and support the development of future-orientated, innovative, flexible, and socially aware HEI communities capable of addressing society's grand challenges at local, regional, national, and at European levels through an engaged, collaboratively developed, and delivered curriculum. The DIFUCH project has identified the lack of close relationships between European HEIs and regional stakeholders in the development of new challenge-based learning. This means that, in general, European regions’ expectations in terms of training, innovation and upskilling are not being met by the Higher Education Institutions’ curriculum of the regions they serve. The transnational nature of the project is key to achieving the project outcomes. The DIFUCH project supports international cooperation and benchmarking in terms of practices, solutions, and approaches to the implementation of innovative strategies for future-orientated challenge-based learning in higher education. The participation of partners representing different European regions provides complementary skills and experiences but with a common scientific and regional context and potential impact. The implementation of an international digital community of practice to enhance the sharing of innovative teaching resources, tools and strategies enriched with different countries’ perspectives building tools, methods and modules and joining courses that support international collaboration of students with different cultural backgrounds. The aim of this project is to design, test and implement digital future challenge-based learning methodologies, platforms and tools within a group of three HEIs in an innovative, future-orientated, trans-institutional cooperation and regional engagement that enhances collaboration and co-creation at all levels including university, trans-university, regional and inter-regionally.

Keywords:

Entrepreneurship education, CBL, pedagogy, ERASMUS+.