Abstract:

Today our societies face a wide range of complex challenges. The solutions should be delivered by graduates of educational systems. This means that in the future we will need the new trans-disciplinary, challenge driven educational model which will shape skills beyond the knowledge of a single discipline. Universities should deliver competencies related to problem solving, decision making, teamwork, leadership, and critical thinking together with research skills which should be treated as a valuable addition to classic knowledge focused education. The goal is to unleash the potential of young people, to provide them with the skills to achieve their goals and support their entrepreneurial mindset.

This goal could be achieved in a concept of a combined model which include challenge driven education with project based learning which is discussed in the manuscript. The example of its implementation in MSc engineering program is presented as well.

The special module designed in the challenge driven education style with elements of project based learning was developed and implemented. Students receive real-world challenges delivered by industrial partners. The whole group of students receive the common challenge with KPIs and is divided into working groups (teams) and the leaders are nominated together with the leader of the whole group (project manager). At the end of the course, students are giving the final pitches and are assessed by industrial partners representatives. Each year the challenge is different.

The combined model turned out to be very effective in shaping multidisciplinary skills together with behavioral skills. The module enhanced both problem-solving skills and awareness of all the technological, environmental and economic factors involved in the decision-making process and how they interact together. The results of the module execution learning outcomes and students survey are discussed in the manuscript as well.

Keywords:

The challenge, PBL, new trends, challenge driven education.