Challenge Based Learning Report From the Implementation Project

7/30/2019 Challenge Based Learning Report From the Implementation Project

1/39

Challenge Based LearningThe Report from the Implementation Project


2/39

i Challenge-Based Learning | The Report from the Implementation Project

ISBN978-0-9846601-0-0


is a publication o

The New Media Consortium

2011,TheNewMediaConsortium.

The authors acknowledge the contributions o the CBL Research Advisory Board, whose careul review o the initial

research design and the fnal prepublication drat made the work behind this report, and the report itsel, much better.

Many thanks go to each o the members o the Advisory Board: Larry Baker, Dr. David Dwyer, Dr. Holly Ludgate,

Dr. Mark Nichols, Katie Morrow, Dr. Helen Padgett, Dr. Ruben Puentedura, and Jessica Sheley.

C Cmms Lcs

PermissionisgrantedunderaCreativeCommonsAttributionLicensetoreplicate,copy,distribute,transmit,

oradaptthisreportfreelyprovidedthatattributionisprovidedasillustratedinthecitationbelow.

Toviewacopyofthislicense,visithttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/orsendaletterto

CreativeCommons,559NathanAbbottWay,Stanford,California94305,USA.

C

Johnson,L.andAdams,S.,(2011).Challenge Based Learning: The Report rom the Implementation Project.

Austin,Texas:TheNewMediaConsortium.


3/39

ii Challenge-Based Learning | The Report from the Implementation Project

Table of ContentsExecutiveSummary..................................................................................1

TheCaseforNewIdeas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

ChallengeBasedLearning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

TheChallengeBasedLearningImplementationStudy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

TheSchools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Demographics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

MajorFindings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

SummativeOutcomes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

TheStudentExperience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

GroupAssignmentandStudentOutcomes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

TheTeacherExperience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

RequiredSkillsandResources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

TrainingandSupport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

TimeandPlaceChangesinStudentLearningPractices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

CaseStudies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

RingwoodNorthPrimarySchool..............................................................20

OcoeeMiddleSchool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

WestsideHighSchool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

MiamiUniversity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

SummativeAssessmentModel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

FormativeAssessmentModel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

ResearchComponent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

InstrumentationandDataCollection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

WorksCited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34


4/39

1 Challenge-Based Learning | The Report from the Implementation Project


The frst major study o challenge based learning (CBL1) took place in the all o 2009, when 321 students and 29

teachers in six US high schools embarked on a set o projects that spanned some 17 disciplines. The outcomes

o that study, conducted by the New Media Consortium, were signifcant on a number o levels, not the least o

which was the clear ecacy o the approach.2

Based on these results, in 2011 a second more in-depth study was conducted by the NMC that involved 19

institutions that collectively range rom primary to graduate education, 65 teachers, and 1,239 students. This

report details specifcs about the study o those institutions.

Executive SummaryWeknowwehaveworktodotoaddresstheproblemsthatfaceAmericanpubliceducation.

Weveknownthisfornearlythreedecades,sincethepublicationofA Nation at Riskin1983,3which

powerfullydocumentedthattheUnitedStateshadlosttheadvantageitbrieyheldintheworldin

science,commerce,technology,andindustry;thatascustodiansoftheeducationoftheyoung,wewere

failing;thatwithoutimmediate,conscious,andfocusedeort,thatfailurewouldonlycompounditself;

andthatincountriesallaroundtheglobe,studentswerebeingbetterpreparedtotakepartinarapidly

atteningmarketplacethanourownstudentswere.

Nosuchimmediate,conscious,andfocusedeorthastakenplace.Untilnow.

Aftertwomajorstudiesinvolving24schoolsinthreecountriesand15states,over1,500students,and

90teachers,itisclearthatchallengebasedlearning(CBL)isoneofthefreshestideasthathasemerged

overthattime,withreplicable,scalableresultsforstudentsatnearlyeverygradelevel.Theapproachis

consistentwithstandards-basedcurricula,anddoesnotrequireamassivereinventionofschools,nor

thekindoftop-to-bottomoverhaulthatsomesayisneeded.Itisbasedonasimplebutpowerfulidea

makelearningrelevant.

1 Apple Education wrote a concept piece on the topic in 2009 that describes the method in considerable detail. See http://

challengebasedlearning.org/cbl/global/les/CBL_Paper.pdf

2 Thisreportcanbedownloadedathttp://www.nmc.org/pdf/Challenge-Based-Learning.pdf.

3 NationalCommissiononExcellencein Education.(1983).A Nation at Ri sk: The Imperative or Educational Reorm.Retrievedfromhttp://

www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/index.htmlAsubsequentstudy25yearslaterfoundthatyearsofdocumentingresultsonlyunderscoredthe

issues.SeeA Nation Accountable: Twenty-fve Years Ater A Nation at Risk.Retrievedfromhttp://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/risk25.

html
http://challengebasedlearning.org/cbl/global/files/CBL_Paper.pdfhttp://challengebasedlearning.org/cbl/global/files/CBL_Paper.pdfhttp://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/risk25.htmlhttp://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/risk25.htmlhttp://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/risk25.htmlhttp://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/risk25.htmlhttp://challengebasedlearning.org/cbl/global/files/CBL_Paper.pdfhttp://challengebasedlearning.org/cbl/global/files/CBL_Paper.pdf


5/39


CBLmakeslearningrelevantbygivingkidsproblemsbigenoughsothattheyhavetolearnnewideas

andtoolstosolvethem,butimmediateenoughsothattheycaredeeplythatsolutionsarefound.Young

peoplewanttosolverealproblems,andthatisexactlywhatchallengebasedlearningisdesignedto

dogivestudentsandteachersaframeworkthatmakeslearningrelevant,andthenletthemdivein.

CBLisanideathatissimpleandpowerfulandevenbetter,itworks.Overthecourseoftwoextensive,

eld-basedstudies,theecacyoftheapproachhasbeendemonstratedbystudentworkandthesharedperspectivesofteachersandstudents.ConsiderthesefouroverarchingndingsfromtheChallenge

BasedLearningImplementation(CBLi)Study:

CBL builds 21st Century Skills.Ninetypercentofteachersreportedthat12keyskillareasimproved

signicantly, including Leadership, Creativity, Media Literacy, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking,

Flexibility,andAdaptability.Seventypercentofteachersreportedsomeimprovementineveryareaof

the21stCenturySkills.

CBL engages students in learning.Overthree-quartersofstudents,acrosseveryagegroup,feltthat

theyhadlearnedmorethanwhatwasrequiredofthem,werepartofsolvingabigproblem,and

workedharderthantheynormallydo.

Teachers nd CBL efective in engaging students and helping them master the material and a

good use o their limited time.Over90%ofteachers,acrosseverygradelevel,feltthatCBLwasagood

useoftheirlimitedtimeandwoulduseitagain.Overthree-quartersofteachers,againacrossevery

gradelevel,feltthattheirstudentsmasteredtheexpectedmaterialandthattheiroverallengagement

increased.

While broadly applicable across the range o learning environments, CBL is ideally suited to

teaching in a technologically rich environment.CBLworksinavarietyofsettings,fromthosewith

sharedaccesstocomputersandtheInternet,tothosewith24/7Internetaccessviaacombinationof

schoolandhome-baseddevices,tofullyone-to-one24/7classrooms.Thestudyfoundthattodaysteachersand students alreadyhave thecomputerand Internetskillsneededtoengage withCBL

eectively.

The Case for New IdeasTherealityremainsthat28yearsafterA Nation at Risk,highschoolachievementforAmericanstudents

hasnotimproved.4EvenintherstveyearsunderNoChildLeftBehind(NCLB),Americanstudents

showednogainswhatsoeverinreading,andverysmallonesinmath.5Whilestudentsinothernations

enjoyrisingscoresandbetterpreparationforaglobalworkforce,ourstudentssuerunderasystemthat

isknowntonotsupporttheirneeds,stiedbyacripplinginertiathatlimitsnewideas.Further,Americanstudentshavealowergraduationratecomparedtostudentsinotherindustrialized

nations.6 Any benet that wouldbe gleaned byremaining inschool islostto thosewhodropout.

4 StrongAmericanSchools.(2008).A Stagnant Nation: Why American Students Are Still at Risk.Retrievedfromhttp://www.strongamericanschools.

org/a-stagnant-nation-why-american-students-are-still-risk

5 Sanchez,C.(2007).U.S.TestResultsShowGrowthinMath,NotReading.All Things Considered,NationalPublicRadio.Seehttp://www.npr.

org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14698611

6 Op.cit. A Stagnant Nation.
http://www.strongamericanschools.org/a-stagnant-nation-why-american-students-are-still-riskhttp://www.strongamericanschools.org/a-stagnant-nation-why-american-students-are-still-riskhttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14698611http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14698611http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14698611http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14698611http://www.strongamericanschools.org/a-stagnant-nation-why-american-students-are-still-riskhttp://www.strongamericanschools.org/a-stagnant-nation-why-american-students-are-still-risk


6/39


AccordingtotheNationalCenterforEducationStatistics(NCES),theproportionofAmericanstudents

wholeaveschoolbeforecompletingtheirdegreesisincreasingandinrecentyears,researchershave

reportedthattheguresmayhavebeenevenhigherthansuspectedduetoinconsistentmeasurements.

Werefailingourstudentsbecausewearefailingtoengagethem,andtheresultsofthisaredire.7In

One Third o a Nation,PaulBartondescribesthesituationasanunderreportedproblem. 8Althoughthe

situationhasdrawnconsiderableattentionfrompoliticalleadersintheUnitedStates,wearestilllosing30%ofourstudents;itwasonlyrecentlythatwecouldevenagreehowtocountdropouts.Studentsare

alsoleavingschoolearlier;themajorityofdropoutsleavehighschoolbetweengrades9and10.9

Theevidenceshowsthatoneofthemainreasonsstudentsareleavingisbecausetheyaredisengaging

fromschool.10Whilesomefactorsleadingtodisengagementarerelatedtotheirhomelifeandfamily

issues,itisbecomingclearthatanimportantfactoristhatstudentsfeelverystronglythatwhattheyare

learninginschoolisnotrelevanttotheirlives.11Surveysofstudentswhohaveleftschoolhaverevealed

thatalackofperceivedconnectionbetweenthecurriculumandtheireverydaylifeorfutureworkwas

akeyfactor,andmanyformerstudentsfeltthatmorecouldhavebeendonetokeepthemengaged

throughthetypeofschoolworktheywereaskedtodo.12

Weneednewideas.

Weneedideasthatwillengagestudentsandkeepthemlearning.Weneedideasthatwillencourage

studentstowanttounderstandtheworldaroundthem,andtohelpthemseetherelevanceofmath

andsciencetotheirownlives.

Relevanceiskey,buttoooftenitisallbutabsentfromeducationalcurricula.Atthesametime,genuine

challengesareeasytond,andyoungpeopleseetheworldasaplacerifewithproblemstheywillneed

tosolveintheirlifetimes.Theywantandexpecttheirschoolingtopreparethemforit,andwhenitdoes,

engagementhasshowntoincreasedramatically. 13Evenyoungchildrenaredeeplyawarethattheworld

economy,forexample,isinafragilestate,andtheyhaveaclearsenseofwhatacollapsewouldmeantothemselves,theirfamiliesandfriends,andtopeopleacrossthecountryandaroundtheglobe.

Theyrealizethattheplanetstemperatureisclimbing,slowlybutperceptibly,andthattheymayseethe

eectsofthatchangeintheirlifetime.Theyunderstandthattheirlifestylesarebuiltuponnonrenewable

energysourcesandtheyknowsomeofwhatthatimplies.And,theyseedesperatehungerandpoverty,

sometimesnotevenveryfarfromhome.

7 Op.Cit.(Barton,2005),(NCES,2008).

8 Barton,Paul.(2005).Bartonalsonotesthatthislikelyresultsininatedgraduationnumbersaswellasunderreporteddropoutrates.

9 SeeHaney(2004).Haneyandothersinterpretthesendingstobean indicationthatmorestudentsarebeingunkedtorepeatgrade9,

possiblyinaneorttoavoidpassingstudentswhoarenotlikelytoscorewellon10thgradeaccountabilitytestsandtokeepreported

passingnumbershigher.

10 SeeAlspaugh(1998);HernandezJozefowicz-Simbeni(2008);Neildetal.(2008).

11 UnitedStatesGeneralAccountingOce(2002).

12 SeeBridgeland,etal.(2006),inwhich71%ofrespondentsreportedlosinginterestintheirfreshmanorsophomoreyear;47%reportedthat

theyleftschoolbecausetheclassworkwasuninteresting.

13 Op.Cit.Challenge Based Learning: An Approach or Our Time (2009).Thisstudyofsixschoolsproducedself-reportedengagementratesfrom

studentsof90%andhigheramong9thgraders.


7/39


There are real problems that need solving, and young people understand that no less than adults

do.Theyseetheseimportantissuestakingtheinternationalstageandtheyknowthatschoolisnot

preparingthemtoaddressthem.Oneinthreemakesthechoicetoleave.

Whatisneededisanewidea,onethatengagesstudentscuriosityanddesiretolearn.Itmustmake

thesolvingofrealproblemsthecenterofthecurriculum,givestudentsaccesstodigitalagetools,and

requirethemtoworkcollaborativelyandmanagetheirowntime.And,itmustallowstudentstodirectthecourseoftheirlearningandengageteachersinasupportive,verynecessaryroleasguides.

Thatnewideaischallengebasedlearning.

Challenge Based LearningChallenge basedlearningis a multidisciplinaryapproachto educationthatencourages students to

leveragethetechnologytheyuseintheirdailylivestosolverealworldproblems.Bygivingstudentsthe

opportunitytofocuson achallengeof globalsignicanceandapplythemselvestodevelopinglocal

solutions,CBLcreatesaspacewherestudentscandirecttheirownresearchandthinkcriticallyabout

howtoapplywhattheylearn.

Theresult,asevidencedinthepilotandthiscurrentstudy,isincreasedengagement,extratimespent

working on the challenge, creative application of technology, and more student satisfaction with

schoolwork.Studentsmasteredthesubject-areacontentandtheirengagementwiththematerialand

withlearningimproved.14TheconceptisdetailedinawhitepaperproducedbyApple,Inc.:

Challenge based learning is a collaborative learning experience in which teachers and

students work together to learn about compelling issues, propose solutions to real

problems, and take action. The approach asks students to reect on their learning and

the impact o their actions, and publish their solutions to a worldwide audience.15

Challengebasedlearningbuildsonthepracticeofproblem-basedlearning,inwhichstudentsworkon

realworldproblemsincollaborativeteams,butwithkeydistinctionsthataddagreatdealofrelevancy

for students. At the center of challenge based learning is a call to action that inherently requires

studentstomakesomethinghappen.Theyarecompelledtoresearchtheirtopic,brainstormstrategies

andsolutionsthatarebothcredibleandrealisticinlightoftimeandresources,andthendevelopand

executeoneofthosesolutionsthataddressesthechallengeinwaysboththeythemselvesandothers

canseeandmeasure.

Thechallengebasedlearningmodelisadirectresponsetothegrowingconcernswithintheeducation

andbusinesscommunitiesthatmosthighschoolgraduateslackabstractthinking,problemsolving,self-

directedlearning,theabilitytoworkingroups.16Challengebasedlearningwasdesignedtopromotecreativityandrisk-takingwithinaframeworkthatassuresthestudentshavebothafertiletopictoexplore

thoseskills,aswellasthefreedomtodoso.

14 Inboththepilotandtheimplementationstudies,morethanthreequartersofteachers,acrosseverygradelevelrepresented,reportedthat

theirstudentsmasteredtheexpectedmaterialandthattheiroverallengagementincreased.

15 Op.Cit.AppleEducation(2009).Challenge based learning.

16 SeeWardandLee,TeachingStrategiesforFCS:StudentAchievementinProblem-BasedLearningVersusLecture-BasedInstruction.


8/39


Theessentialelementsarelaidoutintheaccompanyinggure.Abigideaisaconceptwithfar-reaching

signicance,suchasbiodiversity,strife,sustainability,orresilience.Theessentialquestioncreatesamore

specicfocusforthebigideaandguidesthestudentstowardmanageableaspects

ofthelargerconcept.Thechallengeisframedtobringthebigideaand

essentialquestionhomewithalocalcalltoaction.Oncestudents

haveengagedwiththechallenge,guidingquestions,activities,and resources help them to craft a solution, implement,

evaluate, and ultimately publish their results via the web

andvideo.

Accesstotechnologyisanintegralpartofchallengebased

learning, and not only provides a means for students

to explore as they begin to think more imaginatively,

but also gives them tools to communicate their work.

Challengebasedlearningishighlyadaptable,andworks

ina widevarietyof learningenvironmentsandsituations.

Itisidealinone-to-onesettings,as24/7accesstotoolsand

theInternetonlyencouragesstudentstoextendtheschool

dayastheytacklethechallenge.

Teamwork is another key ingredient of challenge based learning;

working in groups allows students to hone many 21st Century Skills.17

Workingtogether,studentsareabletocorrelateresearchontheirchallengetoeventstakingplacein

theircommunities,ultimatelystrengtheningtheconnectionbetweenwhattheylearnin schooland

whattheyexperienceoutsideofit.

Whatwasconveyedinthepilotstudyisnowevenmoreclearintheresearchandcasestudiesfromyear

two:theevidenceindicatesthatchallengebasedlearningmotivatesstudentstocometoclassanddo

well18especiallythosestudentswhomaybeseenasat-risk.Thisisadirectresultoftheincreasedlevel

ofengagementthatCBLaords.Studentscanlearnmoreexibly,inanatmospherewhereitisclearthat

aproblemoftenhasmorethanonesolution,ormorethanonepathtotheoptimalsolution.Theyhave

moreopportunitiestoshowcasetheirpersonalskillsandtalents,andtoact ontheirownideas.Allof

thesefactorswereshowntobepositivelyrelatedtoengagement.

WhilethecommonthreadofthechallengesinthisstudyremainedthesameasthatofallCBLchallenges

thinkglobally,actlocally19 therangeofthemesexpandedconsiderably intheimplementation

project,fromsavingmoneytoprovidingrelieftonaturaldisastervictimstondingwaystoreducewaste

inthecommunity.Fourcasestudiesarepresentedasanappendixtothisreporttodemonstratethat

spectrum.Thechoiceofschoolsforthecasesreectsthediversityoftheagegroupsandthechallenges,

andeachincludesadiscussionoflocalstudentandteacheroutcomes.

17 Seehttp://www.21stcenturyskills.org/forboththe21stCenturySkillsFrameworkandanexcellentsetofresources.

18 Morethanthreequartersofteachers,acrosseverygradelevel,feltthattheirstudentsmasteredtheexpectedmaterialandthattheiroverall

engagementincreased.SeethesectiononMajorFindingsforconsiderablymoredetail.

19 Awiderangeofchallengescanbefoundathttp://challengebasedlearning.org


9/39


The Challenge Based Learning Implementation StudyThepurposesoftheChallengeBasedLearningImplementationStudy(CBLi)weretwo-fold,andblended

insomewaysthelong-standingboundariesbetweenoutcomes-andprocess-focusedevaluationand

moretraditionaleducationalresearch.

Therstpurposewas todetermineiftheoutcomesand

ndings ofthe pilotcouldbe replicatedand extended

beyondthepurelyhighschoolfocusofthepilottoother

educationallevelsandsettings,especiallyastheyfallinto

four areas: the overall student experience; the overall

teacherexperience;thematchofCBLlearningoutcomes

(particularlyinformallearningoutcomes) withkey skills

describedinFrameworkfor21stCenturyLearning; 20and

thelearninggoalsforthetimedevotedtothework.

The second was to add additional understanding of

severalaspectsoftheschoolecosystemthatmayinuencethesuccessof challengebasedlearning.

AmongthesearetheimportanceoftrainingandsupportintheimplementationofCBL;theimpactof

20 TheFrameworkdescribes21stcent urystudentoutcomesastheknowledge,skillsandexper tisestudentsshouldmastertosucceedinwork

andlifeinthe21stcentury.Thenine-pagereportcanbedownloadedat:http://www.p21.org/documents/P21_Framework_Denitions.pdf

SCooL/Unive rSit LoCation CaLLenge

elmy Schls (s 3-5; s 8-11)

Echo Horizon School Culver City, CA Improve quality or consumption of water in your community.

Jamestown Elementary School Arlington, VA Use creativity to solve a problem.

Startzville Elementary School Canyon Lake, TX Help me nd my place.

Wildwood World Magnet Chicago, IL Feed the hungry.

Ml Schls (s 6-8; s 11-14)

Culbreth Middle School Chapel Hill, NC Increase sensitivity!Kamehameha Middle School Honolulu, HI Take care of the land.

LaGrange Highlands Middle School LaGrange, IL Reduce waste in your school or community.

Ocoee Middle School Ocoee, FL Actively participate in the political process.

h Schls (s 9-12; s 14-18)

Arizona School for the Arts Phoenix, AZ Connect people.

Mercy High School Farmington Hills, MI Design a better cafeteria experience.

San Bernardino High School San Bernardino, CA Improve your wellness.

Toledo Central Catholic High School Toledo, OH Improve nutrition in your school and community.

Westside High School Omaha, NE Improve family dynamics.

Clls/Uss (uu; ul ls 18 b)

Full Sail University Winter Park, FL Foster community.

Houston Community College Houston, TX Find ways to save!Ball State University Muncie, IN Inform and engage your community about fuel ethanol

production.

Miami University Oxford, OH Make undergraduate education relevant!

il Schls (s 5-8; s 10-14)

Calgary Science School Calgary, Alberta Canada Make more environmentally ethical food choices!

Ringwood North Primary School Melbourne, Victoria Australia Help a community recover from a disaster.


10/39


studentgroupsonoutcomes;agreaterunderstandingoftheskillsandresourcesneededforateacherto

successfullyimplementCBL;andasenseofif(andhow)aCBLapproachmightextendlearningtotimes

andplacesoutsidethetraditionalclassroom.

Withthesegoalsinmind,theCBLiprojectwaslaunchedinJanuary2011,withameetingofthe56

teachers participating in the eort. The primary goal of the two-day workshop was to ensure the

participantsunderstoodCBLwellenoughtoimplementittoabaselinestandard,withthesecondarygoalofgivingthemdedicatedtimetoidentifyabigideafortheirschool,teaseoutessentialquestions,

andframetheirchallenges.The19schoolsanduniversitiesinvolvedthenworkedtoimplementthose

challengesthroughlateMay2011.

The SchoolsThe participating schools were chosen against several criteria. The

researchers were looking forschools thatgenuinely were interested in

challenge based learning, and that would have sucientsupport and

resourcestosuccessfullyimplementtheapproach.

Inaddition,thegroupwasselectedsothatawiderangeofgradelevels

couldbeincluded.Thus,fourelementaryschools,fourmiddleschools,ve

highschools,andfourcollegesanduniversitieswereselected,alongwith

twointernationalschools,oneinCanadaandoneinAustralia.Inaddition,

amixofpublic,private,andparochialschoolswasintended.

DemographicsThe CBLi study included 1,239 students and

65 teachers and administrators. In terms of

ethnicity and gender, the sample was less

diverse and more female than the general

populationofschoolagepersons.

Teachers in the study were generally older,

with the mean at about 37 years of age,

and experience levels to match at about 8 years in the classroom. The teachers in the study were

disproportionatelymale;just30%ofteachersacrossalllevelsaremaleintheUS.

grade LeveL StUdentS ProPortion

3rd Grade 23 2%

4th Grade 22 2%

5th Grade 134 11%

6th Grade 215 17%

7th Grade 242 20%

8th Grade 107 9%

9th Grade 144 12%

10th Grade 72 6%

11th Grade 108 9%

12th Grade 77 6%

Community College 40 3%

University 55 4%

StUdent raCe/etniCi t/gender aLL US ProjeCt SCooLS

White 51% 61%

Black 14% 6%

Hispanic 26% 9%

Asian/Pacic Islander 5% 10%

American Indian/ Alaska Native 1% 0%

Multi-Ethnic 7%

Unreported 6%

Male 52% 45%

Female 48% 55%

teaCer gender/age ProPortion teaCer exPerienCe ProPortion

Male 67% Less than 1 year 2%

Female 33% 1-3 years 13%Younger than 25 years old 5% 4-6 years 12%

26-35 years old 30% 7-10 years 29%

36-45 years old 37% More than 10 years 44%

46-55 years old 16%

Older than 55 years old 13%


11/39


Major FindingsThe study included four major areas of principle focus, with the summative assessment of the

eectivenessofCBLatthetopofthatlist,followedbyexpandingtheunderstandingoftheteacherand

studentexperience,and,nally,acloserlookatfourgeneralareasthoughttobemitigatingfactorsin

thesuccessofaCBLimplementation.Theseincludedteachertrainingandsupport;theimpactofthe

compositionofstudentgroupsonoutcomes;neededskillsandresources;andtimeandplacechanges

instudentlearningpractice.21

Themajorndingsofthestudyaredetailedbelow.Subsequentsectionsprovideadditionalsupporting

informationfortheseoverarchingndings,aswellasotherndingsrelatedtothestudentandteacher

experienceandthefourmitigatingfactorsthatwereexamined.

1. CBL s fc bul 21s Cuy Sklls

90% o teachers reported these 12 key skill areas improved signicantly (in rank order)

Leadership Creativity

MediaLiteracy ProblemSolving

Collaboration CriticalThinking

Flexibility Communication Adaptability Innovation

Responsibility Initiative

80% o teachers reported that these additional six key skill areas improved as well (in rank order)

Productivity SocialSkills

Accountability SelfDirection

InformationLiteracy GlobalAwareness

70% o teachers reported some improvement in every area o the 21st Century Skills

21Thenotionoftimeandplacechangesinthewayslearninghappenedissignicant.Wewerespecicallyinterestedinwhetherornotthe

teacherandstudentswereabletoextendtheclassroomtemporallyorvirtuallyinwaysthathavestudentsworkingbeyondtheschoolday

and/orinteractingwithexpertsinrelevantelds.


12/39


2. CBL s sus l.

Over three-quarters o students, across every age group, elt that they had learned more than

expected, were part o solving a big problem, and worked harder than they normally do.

StUdent SUCCeSS oUtCoMe StateMentS ProPortion o StUdentS in agreeMent

I learned a lot 79%

I helped to solve part of a big problem 76%

I worked harder on the CBL project than 75%I normally work on my schoolwork

I felt like I was doing something important 75%

I realized I could be a leader 73%

I eel everyone partaking in this study is making a diference. The way we make a

diference is by giving solutions to problems and xing them. Even a kid can make a

diference somehow.

ELEMENTR SCL STDENT

3. tchs CBL fc sus hlp hm ms h ml

us h lm m. Over 90% o teachers, across every grade level, elt that CBL was a good use o their limited time

and would use it again.

Even the ailed solutions or the solutions lacking creativity still took students through

a problem solving, dynamic, group task where setting a schedule, being innovative,

researching, amassing new knowledge and sharing it with others, and implementing an

idea to pass on inormation to others ended up giving them useul real world experience.

I SCL TECER

Over three-quarters o teachers, across every grade level, elt that their students mastered the

expected material and that their overall engagement increased.inStrUCtion aL SUCCeSS oUtCoMe StateMentS ProPortion o teaCerS in agreeMent

CBL was a good use of my class time and resources 93%

I intend to use CBL again 91%

My students mastered the expected material 79%

Overall engagement of my students increased 75%during the project

Overall, teachers elt that CBL was a rereshing change. After just a single implementation

cycle,94%ofteachersfelttheyunderstoodCBL;73%felttheyunderstooditwell,andtheyfelt

theapproachmadetheirrolemoreresponsive,coach-like,andindividualized.Teachersreported

deeperconversationswiththestudentsabouttheirprojectsandwhatlearningapproacheswere/werenotworkingforthem.

4. CBL s lly su ch chlclly ch m.

While CBL is benecial in many kinds o learning environments, it is particularly efective in

classrooms where every student has 24/7 access to computing resources at home and at school.

CBLcreatesanexpectationfromtherststepsthatstudentswillusetechnologytoresearchtheir

topic,tocollaborateamongtheirgroup,capturereections,presentandpublishtheirwork,and

more.Alongtheway,theyreinforcedigitalmediaskillstheymayalreadyhave,andextendthose


13/39


skillsinareassuchasmusic,video,andmore.Arelatedaspectisthatstudentsareexpectedtothink

criticallyabouttheirmessageandthemediausedtoconveyit.

Todays teachers and students already have the technical skills needed to engage with CBL

efectively. Both students and teachers felt their computer, Internet, and digital media skills

weresucienttothedemandsofCBL.Teacherstechnicalskillsdidnotrankamongtheirtopve

concernsaftertheproject,andtechnicalskillsimprovedforbothteachersandstudentsasaresultofCBL.Videoskillsaresomewhatofanexception:asignicantnumberofteachers(34%)reported

thattheyunderestimatedtheimportanceofvideoskillsinparticularfortheirownneedsandfor

thoseofstudentstoadegreethatittooktimeawayfromothertasks.

Summative utcomesFortheCBListudy,successwasdefinedonthreelevels,eachprogressivelymoreimportantintheoverall

picture.ThefirstwasImplementation Success,whichfocusedontheprocessofusingCBL,howwellthat

wentforteachersandstudents,whetherornotthechallengewascompleted,andhowteachersand

studentsperceivedtheimpactofthesolutions.ThesecondwasInstructional Success,whichprimarilyfocused on howwell theapproach worked withthe required curricula, theteachers ownteaching

goals,andhowwellCBLmeshedwiththeebbandflowoftheclassroom.Thekeyoutcomeforthis

componentisthatthestudentslearnwhattheyneedto,andatthelevelstheyneedto.

Ultimately,however,thesuccessof challengebasedlearningisdeterminedbyhowitspursstudents

tolearn,andsothethirdandmostcriticalcomponentofthemodelisStudent Success.Studentsuccess

looksbeyondthebasicinstructionalgoalstoseewhatotherthingsstudentslearned.Didtheydevelop

orimprovekey21stcenturyskillssuchasmedialiteracy,creativity,innovation,teamwork,collaboration,

and critical thinking? Were they flexible and adaptable? Did they show leadership and assume

responsibility?Didtheyeffectivelyutilizetechnology?Didtheylearnmorethanwasrequired?Didthe

solutionimpacttheircommunity?

implm Succss. Operationally, CBL is a process, and the degree towhich CBL was well

implemented constitutes one level of success in our three-tiered model. Were all the components

included?Diditpresentworkablesolutions?Didtheeffortreachitslogicalending?Diditaccomplish

itsstatedgoals?Understandingtheanswerstothesequestionsrevealedhowtheprocessworked,with

implications for future implementations. For thisstudy, implementation success wasdefined as the

degreetowhichtheCBLprocesswasunderstoodandimplemented.Inparticular,thiscomponentof

successincludedthesequestions:

HowwelldidtheCBLprocessgoforteachersandstudents?

Wasthechallengecompleted?

Whatwastheperceivedimpactofthesolutionforteachersandstudents?

Eighty-eightpercentofteachersintheCBLiprojectcharacterizedtheirimplementationassuccessful.

Studentsechoedthisperception;76%alsoratedtheireffortassuccessful.Ananalysisofthe270comments

leftbythosestudentswhodidnotratetheirprojectassuccessful,however,clearlyshowsthatforthem,

operationalsuccesswasassociatedwiththeirperceptionoftheprojectsimpact,soitislikelythatfurther

analysiswouldindicatestrongeragreementbetweenteachersandstudentsonthisdimension.


14/39


TherewererecurringreferencestohurdlesintheimplementationofCBL,and20%ofteachersdescribed

their implementation experience asvery hard. In almost all cases, this was related to issues with

producingvideo,whichisamajorcomponentofCBL.Students,ontheotherhand,tendedtoreferto

groupprocessissuesasthebiggestobstacleforthem.

isucl Succss.Themiddletierofoursuccessmodellookedattheteacherexperienceclosely

toseehowtheapproachworkedforstudentsingradesthreethrough16.Teachersacrossallgradelevels

reportedstrongoutcomesinthisdimension.Theaspectsofinstructionalsuccessthatmostinterested

uswere:

Howwelldidtheapproachworkwiththerequiredcurricula?

Howwelldidtheapproachworkwiththeteachersownteachinggoals?

HowwelldidCBLmeshwiththeebbandflowoftheclassroom?

Didthestudentslearnwhattheyneededto,andatthelevelstheyneededto?

Mostoftheteachersinthestudywellover90%werenewtoCBL.Thefactthatratingsabouttheir

intentionsrelatedtousingCBLagainwereover90%,andhowitworkedwithtimeandresourceseven

higher,indicatesanoptimismfortheprocessthatissignificant.

inStrUCtion aL SUCCeSS oUtCoMe StateMentS ProPortion o teaCerS in agreeMent

CBL was a good use of my class time and resources 93%

I intend to use CBL again 91%

My students mastered the expected material 79%

Overall engagement of my students increased 75%during the project

Instead o being teacher-centered in ront o the classroom, this is much more o a

student-centered approach Im in teaching because student education should be

ocused on the students. So in that regard you have to remove yoursel to some extent

and help students nd the resources they need. We like to call it responsive teachingbecause thats really what youre doing.

I SCL TECER

Su Succss.Ultimately,anymeasureofsuccessinteachingandlearningmustdocumentwhat

actuallyhappensforstudents,andsothethirdcomponentofthethree-tieredmodel,studentsuccess,has

beenconsideredthemostimportantfromtheearliestdesign,andthedimensionthathasreceivedthe

mostfocusintheanalysiscomponentsofthestudytodate.Amongthekeyquestionsofinterestwere:

Didindividualstudentsdeveloporimprovekey21stCenturySkillssuchasmedialiteracy,creativity,

innovation,teamwork,collaboration,andcriticalthinking?

Didstudentsdemonstrateflexibilityandadaptability? Didstudentsshowleadershipandassumeresponsibility?

Didstudentseffectivelyutilizetechnology?

Didstudentslearnmorethanwasrequired?

Didthestudentssolutionsimpacttheircommunity?


15/39


My joy comes rom their joy, and now that they are on board as much as they are, I will

say Im just very grateul to be part o this process. Specically because the learning is all

being generated by the kids and they have a tremendous amount o ownership, which

is the way it should be.

MIDDLE SCL TECER

Astrongcorrelationemergedbetweentwoaspectsofthestudentexperienceandstudentsuccesswhenstudentsperceivedtheproblemas important,ahostofothermeasureswentup,including

timeontask,howmuchtheylearned,andmore.Additionally,if theyfeltliketheirownworkmadea

significantcontribution,thesamefactorsincreased.

Overall,thefollowingstatementsfoundstrongstudentagreementamongthosewhofeltthattheir

projectwasimportant,andforthosewhofeltthattheirownworkmadeadifferenceitwasespecially

strong:

inStrUCtion aL SUCCeSS oUtCoMe StateMentS ProPortion o StUdentS in agreeMent

I learned a lot 79%

I helped to solve part of a big problem 76%

I worked harder on the CBL project than 75%

I normally work on my schoolwork

I felt like I was doing something important 75%

I realized I could be a leader 73%

Eightypercentormoreofteachersratedallbutfive21stCenturyskillsasimprovedduringtheCBL

project;ifthebarwereloweredtotwo-thirdsofteachers,allofthe21stCenturySkillsimprovedas

aresultofCBL.Twelveofthekeyskills,includingleadership,responsibility,creativity,communication,

critical thinking,innovation, andothers widely correlated withsuccess in theworkplacewere rated

highlybyover90%ofteachers.

Studentsechoedthisfinding,althoughtheirratingswereingeneralsomewhatlowerthanteachers.Themostimprovedskillsinthestudentsestimationwereleadership,responsibility,productivity,flexibility

andadaptability.

I eel really good and it is a big experience or me because we are doing a lot to help our

school and world It is un in a good way.

ELEMENTR SCL TECER


16/39


The Student ExperienceProbablythemostunanticipatedfindingofthestudywasthattherewerenostrikingdifferencesinthe

studentexperiencebetweenstudentsatdifferentgradelevelsandages,otherthanthoseattributable

tothe dynamicsof the student working groups within the classroom. (This particular dimension is

coveredindepthinasubsequentsection.)Onaverage,studentsdevotedabout90minutesadayto

CBLatschool;workoutsideofclassoccurredprimarilyathomeandservedtoextendthelearningday

byanaverageofonehour.Bothstudentsandteacherscommentedonthenoticeableincreaseinoverall

engagementofstudentsinthework.

Probably the biggest thing that weve noticed is just how much more engaged the

students are with the work that theyre doing.

I SCL TECER

Interestingly,80%ofstudentsfeltthattheydidmostoftheworkintheirgroup,supportingthefinding

ofstrongengagementamongthestudentsaroundthegroupactivities.

Themost compellingfinding relatedto thestudent experiencewas thestrongshift thatoccurredin

studentsperceptionsofhowtheymightcontributetoagroupprojectoverthetermoftheproject.

Fewerthan15%sawthemselvesinarolesuchas leader,creativecontributor,orstrategistbeforethe

project began, but bytheend, most studentslisted all theseandseveralother ways inwhich they

contributedtotheworkoftheirgroups.

StUdent exPerienCe: Woring in groUPS ProPortion o StUdentS in agreeMent

Iusuallycontributebysharingideasandstrategies 95%

Iliketobesurethegroupturnsingoodwork 94%

Iliketobethecreativepersoninthegroup 88%

Iamtheonewhousuallydoesmostofthework 80%

Iliketobethegroupleader 79%

iMProved aS aSSeSSed B iMProved aS aSSeSSed B21St CentUr SiLLS rated aS iMProved 80% or More o teaCerS 80% or More o StUdentS

Leadership 98% 86%

Media Literacy 96% 82%

Collaboration 95% 81%

Flexibility 94% 84%

Adaptability 94% 84%

Responsibility 94% 85%

Creativity 93% 83%

Problem Solving 93% 83%

Critical Thinking 92% 76%

Communication 91% 77%

Innovation 90% 81%

Initiative 90% 80%

Productivity 89% 85%

Accountability 89% 82%

Information Literacy 88% 81%

Social Skills 88% 82%

Self Direction 84% 82%

Global Awareness 83% 75%

Civic Literacy 77% 82%


17/39


The tendency of students to increasingly see themselves as leaders was especially strong among

minoritygroupsinmiddleschools,whichisanespeciallyappropriatetimetoallowayoungpersonto

seethemselvesinrolestheyperceiveaspositive.

Eighty-fourpercentfeltthattheirprojectwaslikelytoimpacttheoverallproblem;nearlyhalffeltthat

itdefinitelywould.Atthesametime,studentconfidenceintheirabilitytoimpacttheoverallproblem

diminishedslightly,althoughsignificantly.Studentsprovedtobegoodjudgesoftheirowncontributions;therewasvirtuallynodifferenceintheirassessmentofwhetherthethingstheywoulddo(pre-project)

anddiddo(post-project)wouldmakeadifferenceintheirgroupsefforts.

CBL has been a very dierent type o learning experience. It has required me to problem

solve and think outside the box, which is both a challenge and a relie rom the usual

mundane subjects in school. CBL is a class in which I can learn more about what truly

interests me and what will urther me as not only a student in America, but a student in

the world.

I SCL STDENT

Studentsclearlyenjoyedthefeelingthattheyweremakingadifference.Ananalysisofcommentsfrom

178studentsinmidterminterviewsstronglyunderscoredthis;majorthemesthatemergedfromthose

commentswere:

Overall,therewasanoverwhelmingsentimentfromstudentsthattheyweremakingadifference

attheirschoolsandintheircommunities,whichaddedtotheirownengagementwiththeproject.

Theyoungerstudents,especially,wereverypleasantlysurprisedthattheywereabletomakeacommunity

impacteventhough,asoneelementarystudentputit,theywerejustchildren,stillinschool.

Studentsfeelmoreconnectedbothtotheirschoolsandtotheircommunities.

ManystudentswanttocontinuetohelptheircommunitiesafterCBL.

I eel I am making a dierence because o this project in our community. We are going

through with our solution [no matter the outcome]

I SCL STDENT

Before theproject began, students overall rated their owncomputerand Internet skillsvery highly

(strongorverystrong)andeventheirvideoproductionskillsat3.84onafive-pointscale.Nonetheless,

morethantwo-thirdsreportedtheseskillsasimprovingoverthetermoftheeffort.

A lot o people have stepped up in other ways, too, not just with the projects theyre

working on but also by sharing skills. People who are good at computers help people

who arent. People who are good at ilming help people who arent. So we had a buncho little sessions [where] the students actually taught other students needed skills.

I SCL TECER

Its been a chance [or the students] to use all the skills theyve learned throughout their

entire education and apply them in a real world setting.

I SCL TECER


18/39


roup ssignments and Student utcomesTeachersby andlarge becameattunedtothe notionof theeffects ofgroup assignmentsonstudent

outcomes through the CBLi project; only 48% described themselves as attuned to the impact of

groupassignmentsonstudentoutcomesinitially,butbytheendoftheproject,96%describedthe

groupinteractionsamongandbetweentheirstudentsasimportanttotheoveralloutcomes.Students

concurred,andagreatdealofthestudentcommentarywasdevotedtotheassignmentofstudentsto

groups.

I am an independent person, so I usually eel that working in groups wastes a lot o time

and sometimes its not air. I can complete a lot by mysel. CBL has changed that because

when I get to choose my group members, I choose ones that I know will work hard. I am

happy that we got to work in groups because it gets things done aster.

MIDDLE SCL STDENT

The sentimentabovewas echoed throughout the student comments,both by those who felt their

groupswereappropriateandbythosewhodidnot.Concernaboutthecompositionofgroupswas

strongestingradesseventhrough10formativeyearswhenconcernsaboutgroupandindividual

identityareparamount.Tobetterunderstandthisphenomenon,studentswererandomlyselectedfor

interviewsattheapproximatemidpointoftheprocessand178studentssubmittedwrittencomments.

Fivekeythemesemergedfromthoseinterviewsrelatedtogroupdynamics,includinganumberrelated

tothewaysstudentsworktogetherinaCBLproject;thewaystheyprefertheirgroupstobechosen,and

howgroupshandledconflict:

Manystudentsopinionsaboutworkingingroupschangedoverthecourseoftheprojectenough

forthemtocommentonthechange;CBLwasperceivedtohavebroughtaboutaheightened

levelofcollaborationandpositivegroupdynamics.

Commentsaboutgroupdynamicstendedtobemorepositivewhenstudentswereinchargeof

choosingtheirownCBLteammates

Themostpositivecommentscamewhentheworkloadinthegroupwasdistributedaccordingto

thekindsofactivitieseachstudentexcelledat.Somehandleddigitalmediaverysmoothly,while

othersdemonstratedtalentsforplanningandpresenting.Becauseofthis,therewasamarked

increaseinpeer-to-peerlearningastheytaughteachothernewskills.

Manystudentscommentedthattheyformedgoodrelationshipswiththeirteammatesthatthey

wouldneverhaveformedotherwise.

Conflictcausedsetbacks,butwhengroupswereabletopullthroughthat,itbecameasourceof

pride.Despitethesepositivecomments,onaverage,studentsreportedthattheylikedworkingingroupsless

aftertheCBLprojectcompleted.Ananalysisofstudentcommentssuggestedthatthedynamicswithin

theirgroupswasamajorfactorinthissmallbutsignificantdecline.Themeanforstudentresponses

(onafive-pointscalefromreallydisliketoreallylike)toaquestionofhowmuchtheylikedordisliked

workingingroupswas3.93(liked)beforetheproject,and3.72aftertheproject.


19/39


Incontrast,largenumbersofstudentsseemedtoviewgroupworkpost-projectingenerallypositiveterms:

I usually despise working in groups but CBL has changed the way I approach group

work. Through CBL I have ound some new orms o compromise. But the most important

thing that Ive realized is that any eective and signiicant, challenging work you hope

to do, 98% o the time cannot be done alone.

I SCL STDENT

Thisperspectivewasechoedstronglyinthestudentpost-survey:

Woring in groUPS PoSt ProjeCt PerCePtionS ProPortion o StUdentS in agreeMent

Whenagroupworkswelltogether,theyhelpeach 95%

otherdotheirbestwork

Workingingroupsletspeopledevelopnewskills 94%

Groupworkismorefunbecauseitismoresocial 88%

Groupsaremoreexcitingthanthemoreindividualkindsofschoolwork 80%

Inmostgroups,oneortwopeopleendupdoingmostofthework 79%

Whenstudentswereaskedtomakeaforcedchoiceamongthedimensionsinthetableabove,53%

chosethefirstitem,Whenagroupworkswelltogether,theyhelpeachotherdotheirbestwork,while

thenexthighestchoicewasjust17%,whoselectedInmostgroups,oneortwopeopleendupdoingall

thework.Thelastresultinthetableabovecontrastswiththefindingnotedabovethat80%ofstudents

werethepersondoingthemostworkinagroup.Moreresearchisneededtounderstandthisdisparity.

Overall,theseresultstendtosupporttheimportanceofthesocialdimensionsoftheclassroom,especially

asitrelatestotheassignmentofgroups.Itseemsclear,especiallyfromthestudentcomments,thatwho

theyareaskedtoworkwithisaveryimportantfactorinhowstudentsfeeltheirgroupwillwork.Atthe

sametime,beyondthatobservation,itisclearthatthereisroomforconsiderablymorestudyofthisarea.

The Teacher ExperienceTeachersoverwhelminglyfoundCBLeasy to learnand understandafter a single implementation

cycle,94%ofteachersfelttheyunderstoodCBL;nearlythree-quartersfelttheyunderstooditwell,while

one-fourthfelttheywereexpertenoughatittoteachothers.

Ive taught or 22 years. I ind it very stimulating to do something new with my students.

I SCL TECER

Nonetheless,teacherstendedtounderestimatethetimethatCBLwouldtaketoimplementasaportion

oftheirnormalworkday.Mostteachers(98%)estimatedthatCBLwouldtakeonlyamodestamountof

timeawayfromothertasks.Bytheendoftheproject,56%reportedthatitdid,infact,taketimeawayfromotherimportanttasks.Theprimaryreason,culledfromalistofcommentsfromarandomsample

ofteachers,wasthatteachersunderestimatedtheimportanceofvideoskillstoboththemselvesand

tostudents.Timepressurerelatedtoprojectdeadlinestooktimeawayfromothertaskstowhichthey

wouldnormallyhavedevotedthemselves.


20/39


Inotherareasinwhichteachersanticipatedissues,theirperceptionswerefairlyaccurate:

toP ive ConCernS antiCiPated aCtUaL

Timeawayfromothertasks 52% 56%

Studentskills 40% 38%

Timeoutsideofschool 40% 25%

MasteringCBLquicklyenough 37% 25%

Adequatetraining/professionaldevelopmentinCBL 31% 12%

Accesstoneededequipment 19% 21%

I tend to be very organized, like I know what Im teaching today and I know X,Y, and Z and

thats where my comort level is, or so I thought. But I am inding I am very comortable

letting the children decide the direction were going in, which is kind o new or me.

6T RDE TECER

Fifteenofthe62teacherswereselectedformid-projectinterviews,whichwereconductedviatelephone,

andthentranscribedandanalyzedforrecurringthemes.Fivethemesemerged:

Overall,teachersfounditrefreshingtostepintoadifferentrolewithCBL.

Teachersfelttheirrolewasmoreresponsive,coach-like,andindividualized.

Teachersbeganinstigatingdeeperconversationswiththestudentsabouttheirprojectsandwhat

learningapproacheswere/werenotworkingforthem.

Manyteacherstookawhiletofeelsure-footedaboutleadingtheCBLprojectsbecauseitfeltlikea

fairlybigdepartureatfirst.Theyhadtochangetheirmindsetsandbecomemoretrustingoftheir

students,whichwasinitiallydifficult.

FindingwaystoeffectivelycommunicateandpresenttheCBLmodelandessentialquestionto

thestudentsprovedchallenging;someteachershadtotakeastepbackmid-processandre-

presenttheprojecttotheirstudentsinadifferentway.Teachersreportedalotoflearn-as-you-go

experiences.

Required Skills and ResourcesTeachersidentifiedfiveessentialskillsthatfoundvirtuallyuniversalagreement.Toppingthelistwerethe

teachersowndigitalskills,reflectingthestrongconnectionofCBLto21stCenturySkillssuchascreativity

andmedialiteracy.EquallyimportantweresubjectmatterexpertiseandfacilitywithCBL.Whilenoneof

theteachersorstudentsreportedbehavioralorotherissuesduringtheproject,itissignificantthat94%

ofteacherslistedclassroommanagementasanessentialskill.

Theabilitytomakestudentsfeelcomfortablewiththeprocessandtoworkwiththemastheygothrough

theopenprocessesof brainstormingandworkingthroughthestepsofchallengebasedlearningareverymuchdependentontheatmospheretheteacherisabletocreateandmaintain.Donewell,itmay

notbeobvious,butteachersagreethatitisveryimportant.

teaCer PerCePtion o eSSentiaL SiLLS teaCerS in agreeMent

Digitalmediaskills 99%

Internetskills 98%

Subjectknowledge 98%

UnderstandingofCBL 98%

Classroommanagementskills 94%


21/39


Training and SupportAclearfindingwasthatwhileteachersareabletolearnCBLandimplementit,theskillsitrequiresare

newtomanyofthem.Aftertheprojectended,only13%ofteachersreportedthattheyhadalltheskills

andtrainingtheyneededatthebeginningoftheeffort.Atthetopofthelistofrecommendationsthey

hadforotherteachersorschoolswastoprovidetrainingintheapproach;86%reportedthattheCBL

trainingtheyreceivedinDallasattheprojectkick-offhelpedthemtobesuccessful.Three-quartersfelt

theonlineCBLcommunityspacewasimportanttotheirabilitytocraftsuccessfulimplementations.

Unsurprisingly,giventhewaytheschoolswereselected,98%felttheyhadsufficientadministrative

support;94%felttheyhadsufficienttechnicalsupport,aswell.

While theteachers self-assessed their generalcomputerskills at 4.02out of five(strong) andtheir

generalInternetskillsat4.17(alsostrong),manyofthemfoundtheirdigitalmediaskillsposedissues.

Althoughalmostallofthemwereabletolearnthetoolsandtechniquestheyneeded,ittooktimeaway

fromothertaskstodoso.Videoandeditingskillstoppedthelistofactivitiesinwhichtheywishedthey

hadastrongerfootingafindingwithclearimplicationsforpre-serviceeducation.

Wat do oU WiS oUr PaSt ProeSSionaL deveLoPMent ProPortion oad inCLUded Beore oU Began oUr CBL ProjeCt? teaCerS in agreeMent

Videoediting 50%

Audioediting 37%

FormalCBLtraining 33%

Imageediting 19%

Time and Place Changes in Student Learning PracticesTheresearcherswereabletodocumentthatCBLdideffecttimeandplacechangesinthewaysstudents

learned,bothinsideandoutsideofclass.Onaverage,studentsdevotedabout90minutesadaytoCBL

atschool;teacherandstudentcommentsindicatethatthisworkinvolvedmorefreedomandstudent

choiceinthemannertheywereabletoapproachtheirtasksandtheresourcestheyused.Workoutside

ofclass occurredprimarilyat home(64%of students) and servedtoextendthelearning day byan

averageofonehour.Thisfindingwastrueacrossallgradelevels.

Relatedtothisdimensionwerechangesintheadultsfromwhomstudentswerelearning.Whilethevast

majorityofstudents(88%)stilllistedtheirteacherasakeyresourcetothem,47%ofstudentsreported

localexpertsassignificantcontributorstotheirlearning;36%calleduponparents,and32%notedthat

otherfamilymemberswereasignificanthelp.


22/39


TechnologyThestudentsandteachersperceptionsoftechnology,andtheircomfort withboththetoolsandtheir

ownskillsetswereakeyfocusoftheresearch,astheverynatureofCBLpresumesextensiveaccessto

technology.Indeed,CBLisapedagogythatseemsideallysuitedtoteachinginone-to-oneclassrooms,

andespeciallywhereeverystudenthasaccesstoan Internet-capabledeviceathomeandin school.

Havingsuchaccessallowsstudentstocontinuetomuseandreflectontheirchallenges,andasthe

previoussectiondemonstrated,extendstheschooldayandexpandstheclassroom.

Teacherswereaskedtoprovideagreatdealofspecificityaboutthetechnologicalresourcestheyused

intheirCBLprojects,andof specialinterestwerethoseinwhichteachersshareda broadagreement

ontheirimportance.Thiswasexploredbothintermsoftechnologyfortheirownuseandforstudents.

teaCer PerSPeCtive o te iMPortanCe o e reSoUrCeS or teaCer USe or StUdent USe

Internetaccessinclass 98% 100%

Personallaptop 94% 96%

Videocamera - 96%

Videoeditingtools 82% 94%

Audiocaptureandeditingtools - 94%

Digitalstillcamera - 94%

Internetaccessoutsideofclass 98% 92%

Microphone - 86%

Imageeditingtools - 86%

Dataprojector 80% -

Resources with less than 80% agreement on their importance are omitted.


23/39


Four Case StudiesFour representative schools, one rom each level o institution primary, middle school, high school, and

university were selected by the researchers or additional in-depth study. These case studies provide more

inormation about how the schools actually approached their implementations, how educators worked with

students, and what they accomplished.

Ringwood North PrimaryMelbourne, AustraliaBig Idea: Resilience

Question: How can we better support each other during times o hardship?

Challenge: Help a community recover rom a disaster.

Overview: Throughout history, the human race has continually been challenged by disasters. During

these times o great adversity, communities need to come together and support one another.

Australias Ringwood North Primary School challenges you to make a dierence or a

community aected by a disaster.

Technology: Ringwood is a one-to-one iPad school

Ringwood North Primary chose a very timely subject for their challenge based learningproject.In

themidstof their challenge,Helpa communityrecover froma disaster, Christchurch,New Zealand

experiencedatragicearthquakeandJapanwasrockedbyagianttsunami.Whiletheprojectwasinitially

focusedonhelpingcommunitiesinAustraliaaffectedbyfloodsandcyclones,thechallengetookona

moreglobalperspectiveasgraphicimagesofthedevastationmovedtheirstudentsintotakingaction.

Theparticipatingstudentswerefifthandsixthgraders,ages10to12asignificantlyyoungeragegroup

thanthechallengebasedlearningpilothighschools.Oneofthemissionsunderscoringtheirroleinthis

studywastoexplorehowCBLtranslatestotheelementaryschoolset.Thechildrencreatedachallenge

withoutaconcreteend,developingsolutionsthatarehighlytransferrabletodifferentscenarios.The

highlightofthisprojecthasbeentoseethestudentsbecomeawarethattheyareactuallymakingareal

differencetosomeoneelse,anothercommunity,sharedAdamBrice,AssistantPrincipaloftheschool.

Inordertoeffectchangeinanothercommunity,RingwoodNorthPrimaryorganizedthestudentsinto

groups,whererolesweredividedupandsolutionsimplemented.Thecollaborativenatureoftheproject

providedtheopportunityforeachstudenttosharehisorherparticulartalentsandskills.Thisgroup

dynamic,enhancedbyreadilyavailabletechnology,includingiPaddevices,helpeddriveforwardthe

challengewhilekeepingitexcitingforthestudents.Intraditionalclassroomsituations,studentsdonot

getthesameopportunitiestoswitchgearsandexperimentwithnewroles.


24/39


Weareseeinganimprovementinself-esteemandconfidence,asourlearnersbegintoexperience

moresuccesswithamediumwhichmakessensetothemsaidBrice.Wehavepromotedthenotion

thatteachersarealsolearners,andasa result,wehaveourstudentswillingtocollaborateandshare

notonlywithoneanother,buttheirteachers.Newideasorlearningarespreadlikewildfireandare

celebratedduringreflection.

WhatisalsouniqueaboutRingwoodNorthPrimaryisthattheyembarkedonaone-to-onelearningtrialinconjunctionwiththeirchallengebasedlearningprojectthegroupof138studentshad24/7access

toiPaddevices.Studentstookfulladvantageofthisresource,settinguptheirowniTunesaccountsand

emailaccounts,aswellasdownloadinghelpfulappsandvideos.Assuch,iPaddevicesprovedtobe

thekeytoolintheirCBLactivities,usedforeverythingfromresearchto communicationtorecording

projectreflections,whichgenerallyincludedcreatingmoviesandsoundtracks.AcombinationofiMovie,

Garageband,andReelDirectormadethesemoviescomealive.Learningtousethisvastassortmentof

toolsandtechnologiesaffordedmoreopportunitiesforgenuinecriticalthinking.

Thestudentsarechallengedtoreflectupontheirlearningandrevisitwhatworked,whatdidntand

why,Bricenoted.Thenotionthatthingsdontalwaysgoaccordingtoplanhasbeencelebratedandhighlightsthefactthatthereisalwayssomethingwecanlearnfromit.

Throughtheseinvestigations,conceptshaveemergedwhichhaveallowedtheteacherstoseizenew

learning opportunities. From the ongoing development of news from newspapers to apps, to the

explorationofhardshipanditsabilitytobemeasured,studentsatRingwoodNorthPrimaryaredirecting

andcontributingtotheirownlearning.

Wehavestudentsmovinginandoutofspacesandutilizingdifferentlearningareasastheyneedto,

saidBrice.Wejustfoundthattheyvebecomemoreindependent.Theyrereallyarticulate.Solutions

thatthestudentsbroughttolifeincludedabakesaletoraisemoneytosendstacksofbookstoaschool

libraryinQueenslandtoreplacethosedamagedintheflood.Otherstudentshavechanneledtheirnaturalcreativitytowritea Book O Hope,acollectionofartwork

andmessagesofsupportforthedisastervictims.Treeplantings,concertsanddonationstoaRoyal

SocietyforthePreventionof CrueltytoAnimalsinQueenslandwerejustsomeoftheothersolutions

implementedbyRingwoodNorthstudents.Theoverallsentimentoftheparticipatingstudentswasa

newfoundfeelingofmakingareal-worldimpact.Itsgoinggreat,onestudentshared.Itsalotoffun,

andwithoutreallyknowing,wearelearning!

TheeducatorsatRingwoodNorthPrimaryhavenotedanimprovementinstudentengagement,andnot

justinthosechildrenwhotypicallyperformbestonstandardtestsormosteasilycomprehendlessons.

Therearealotofstudentswhohavereallysteppedupanddemonstratedoutstandingleadershipskills,Bricerevealed.

InadditiontothestudentspositiveresponsestoCBLforgroupinteractions,theteachersareexperiencing

firsthandhownewapproachestolearningcantransformstudent-teacherrelationships.Therearealot

morequalityopportunitiesforgivingexplicitfeedback,whetherthatbeindividuallyorinsmallgroups,

saidBrice.Werefindingthatwevegotthechancetoreallysitdownwiththemandquestionwhat

theyredoing,haveourstudentsjustifythedecisionstheyremakingandtoelaborateonwhattheyve

alreadydone.


25/39


coee Middle SchoolOcoee, Florida

Big Idea: Politics

Question: What role do politicians play in everyday lie?

Challenge: Actively participate in the political process

Overview: 43.2 percent o Americans o voting age did not vote in the last election. With approximately

hal o US citizens not engaging in the political process, how then, can we not expect students

to do the same? This challenge is designed to open students eyes to the workings o state and

local government and to show them that they can make a dierence in society, even i they are

not old enough to vote.

Technology: Ocoee is a one-to-one MacBook school during the school day; kids also used iPad and iPod

touch devices

ThechallengethatOcoeeMiddleSchoolundertookActivelyparticipateinthepoliticalprocess

isinherentlycomplexbecausetheparticipatingstudentsareallunderthevotingage.However,the

exerciseitselfhasprovidedthechildrenawindowintoaprocesstowhichtheywillultimatelyhavethedemocraticrightandsocialresponsibilitytocontribute.Toaddanotherdimension,Ocoeeisoneofthe

firstmiddleschoolstojointhechallengebasedlearningstudy,offeringasnapshotofhowthislearning

approachworksinadifferentagegroup,specifically12to14year-olds.

Among the goals the school set out to accomplish was strengthening group dynamics and

communication skills.We are absolutely thrilled with exactly the point of [CBL], which is the kids

areworkingingroups,saidSharynC.Gabriel,theprincipalatOcoeeMiddleSchool.Theyredoing

authentic research. Theyre pushing themselves. Theyre coming up with creative solutions. Its an

amazingprocesstowatch.Thecombinationofworkinginteamsandutilizingemergingtechnologies

providesthestudents withmore real-world experience a well-received departure from previouslessonplansfocusedonthesamesubject.Ihave12and13 year-oldsinteractingwithsenatorsand

congressmenandgoingtocommissionmeetings,whereasitusedtobewhatarethethreebranches

ofgovernment?Gabrieladded.

Thestudentsareequallyinterestedinthis changeinpace andteaching.[CBL]explainsit clearerthan

doingworksheetsandotherthings,sharedonestudent.Whiletherewasadefiniteenthusiasmfortrying

somethingnew,stayingontaskprovedtobeanobstaclefortheparticipants,inmostcasesdueto

conflictsthataroseamidstthesmall,teacher-selectedgroups.

Feelings of success varied from group to group, revealingthat challenge based learning mayhave

asignificantlydifferentimpactwhenthegroupslikethechallengesandsolutionsthemselvesareentirelystudent-directed.Pre-setgroupsmaybe moreappropriatefortheelementaryschoolset,

whostillrelyheavilyonteacherstohelpdevelopandnavigatethesocialinteractionsoftheclassroom.

Middleschoolisgenerallyatimewhenkidsaremoreassertiveinbuildingtheirsocialidentities,and

morecliquesemerge.

Itshardtokeeptrackofwhateveryoneisdoingandpeoplealwaysdowhatotherpeopledo.said

astudentdescribingachallenge.


26/39


Studentsweremixedonthevalueofgroupwork.Iwouldpreferifwegottochooseourowngroups,

one student offered. Others took the opposite view,Challenge based learning is a great way to

communicatewitheachother.Fourbrainsworkbettertogetherthanone.Itslikeawayto show/tell

youropinionaboutthatspecificproject,saidanotherstudent.

TeachersatOcoeealsoencounteredsomeinitialissueswithstudentsnotfullygraspingthemeaningofthe

challenge.Theelectionprocessandpoliticalprocessarevirtuallysynonymouswitheachother,saidoneteacher.Idontthinkour7thgradershavebeenpickinguponthat.Inordertocircumventthisroadblock,

theteachersworkedtogethertocreatevisualactivitiestoconnectbothprocesses.Afterthat,thestudents

seemtobemoreclearontheconcept,theteacherconfirmed.Thoughchallengebasedlearningisstudent-

centered,ithasprovedcriticalforteacherstoselectivelyinterveneandguidethestudents.

Whenitcametostudentengagementatanindividuallevel,therewasamoreevenlydispersedsenseof

accomplishmentthatstrucktheeducatorsatOcoee.Youdbesurprisedatthosekidsthataretraditionally

notsuccessful,howgoodtheyareatpresentingandhowcreativetheyare,Gabrielsaid.Wevehadkids

andthesearenotyourstraight-Akindofkidswhoarebustingouttheroofwithtestscores.This

observationechoestheresultsofthechallengebasedlearningpilotstudy,whichconveyedstrongerperformancesamongmoreat-riskstudents.

The technology deployed in Ocoees CBL project contributed to this student engagement. While

facilitatingone-to-onelearningisnotthenormfortheschool,theyusedaone-to-oneapproachfor

theirprojecttocreatewhatGabrielcalledflexibledigitallearningenvironments.Eachteamofstudents

hadaccessduringtheschooldayto30desktopcomputersandacartofMacBookcomputers,andiPod

andiPadtouchdevices.JournalingandpodcastingtookplaceprimarilyonMacBookcomputers,and

studentsusediPaddevicestoresearcheverythingtheycouldabouttheirlocalgovernment,current

laws,andcommissionersmeetings.Thegamutranfromactivitiesassimpleasletterwritingtocreating

Facebookpagesforsocialawareness,Gabrielshared.

Accompaniedbyexploringnewwaystousetheavailabletechnologies,thestudentsdidworkthat

isinherentlydifficultfortheirages.Inadditiontoattendinggovernmentcommissionmeetings,the

studentsresearchedrecentlyintroducedlocalandstatebills.Torelatemoreauthenticallytothematerial,

thechallengeemphasizedchildrenhavingavoiceinspecificareasinwhichtheyarefamiliar,suchas

parksandlibraries.Perhapsmostimportantly,thestudentsfoundthatthenewfoundknowledgeand

skillsmaystickwiththemastheycontinuetheireducationafterOcoeeMiddleSchool.TheCBLthing

isverychallenging,onestudentadmitted.But,Igotthehangofitandlearnedalotaboutit.Challenge

basedlearningcanalsohelpyouwhenyougettohighschool.


27/39


Westside igh SchoolOmaha, Nebraska

Big Idea: Family

Question: What are the actors that aect amilies and impact their day-to-day activities?

Challenge: Improve Family Dynamics

Overview: Students at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska eel that amilies are the oundation o

all societies. However, we eel that amily relationships have deteriorated over time and are in a

crisis. We challenge you to improve amily dynamics.

Technology: Westside is a one-to-one MacBook school, and used GarageBand and iMovie extensively

Challenge based learning provides students with opportunities to make positive impacts on their

surrounding communities. Westside High Schools challenge Improve Family Dynamics

incorporateda differentkind ofcommunitythanotherschools,but familyrelationshipsarearguably

themostimportantdrivingfactorinshapingpeoplesoutlooksandactions.Exploringtheirexperiences

withthistypeofprojectshedslightonhowwellchallengebasedlearningtranslatestomoreimmediate,

personalcommunities.

AtWestside, the students assumed a lot of control over the project, which proved surprising and

refreshingfortheparticipatingfaculty.Ithinkthebiggestchangeoverthelastcoupleyearshasjust

beenthemindsetoftrustingthekidsandgivingthemthefreedomtotaketheprojecthowtheywant

toacertainextent,sharedNathanMoseley,a10thgradeteacher.Theresalotmorefreedominvolved

forthemandtheyreinchargeoftheirownlearninginalotofways.So,thebiggestchangeformeasa

teacherisjustlettinggoandlettingthemtakecontrolofthat.

With this increase in freedom camemore personal accountability for thestudents, and thegroups

theyformedembodiedthisnewsenseofresponsibility.Iusuallydonotlikeworkingingroupsatall;I

usuallyendupdoingalloftheworkandgetfrustrated,revealedonestudent.CBLwasthebestgroupexperiencethatIveeverhad.Mygroupmembersweremyfriendsandweallcancountoneachother.

Theworkgotdoneandpeoplecompletedtheirportionoftheproject,whichwasverynice.

Manystudentsechoedthissentiment,emphasizinghowthepositivegroupdynamicscontributedto

theoverallsuccessofthesolutionstheyimplementedtogethereventhoughsomeoftheworkwas

accomplishedindividually.Weallattendedthesupportgroup,obviously,todoatestrunofthesupport

group,saidanotherstudent.Wealsoallattendedtheinterviewsweconducted.Eachofuswantedto

bethereforimportantpartsofthisproject.

Together,students brainstormed and executedon solutions that they felt made a direct impact on

familyrelationshipsinOmaha,includingconductingsupportgroupsforchildrenwithdivorcedparents.Somestudentsevensteppedup tocreatekeynotespeechesforpresentationsabouttheirchallenge

tootherstudents,teachers,andajudgingboard,whichisnotsomethingstudentstypicallyexperience

beforeenteringhighereducationinstitutions.IfeelIammakingadifferencebecauseofthisprojectin

ourcommunity,onestudentshared.Wearegoingthroughwithoursolutionnomatterifwewinornot,

sothekidsinourgroupatLovelandwillbenefitfromoursolution.Thefeelingofmakingadifference

provedtobethemosteffectivemotivationfortheWestsidestudents.


28/39


Moseleycitedtheuseoftechnologyasalargefactorintheoutcome.Weareaone-to-oneschool,he

explained.Students[were]allowedtotaketheircomputershomewiththemeachdayandthishelped

withtheimplementationoftheproject.Withtheschool-issuedMacBooks,studentsdevelopedwebsites,

edited photos, designed informative flyers, and created keynote presentations about their project.

Studentsalsouseddigitalcamerasandcamcorderstoshootmovies,returningbackto theMacBook

computerstoeditthevideosandsoundtracksiniMovieandcreatesoundtracksinGarageBand.Thedeparturefrommoreconventionalhighschoolcurriculumalsoincitedenthusiasticresponsesand

evenfosteredatransformationinmanyofthestudentsambitions.CBLisadefinitecontrastfromthe

typicalclassroomatmosphere,butIlikeit,saidonestudent.Itsmuchmorelaidback,makingiteasierto

concentrateandwork,andIlikethatitallowsmetomanagemyowntimeandmakemyowndecisions

onwhatIwillaccomplishfortheday.Therealworldskillofeffectivetimemanagementisanincreasingly

invaluableoutcomeofchallengebasedlearning.

Teachersfelt thattheimpact studentsmade onfamily dynamicsin theircommunity and ontheir

ownpersonalgrowthhappenedbecausetheyweregiventhechance.Moseleynoted,Ithinkthe

biggestthingisseeingexamplesofwhatstudentshavedoneandtheprocesstheywentthrough,aswellasgettingtheopportunitytocarryitoutbythemselves.

Miami niversityOxord, Ohio

Big Idea: Learning

Question: How can undergraduate education be more relevant?

Challenge: Make undergraduate education relevant!

Overview: Design a more relevant undergraduate learning experience. Is the current structure o university

education eective in creating active citizens prepared to solve the challenges o the 21st century?

How can a university education, both inside and outside o the classroom, become more

innovative, adaptive and transormative to develop student portolios that contribute to society?

Technology: Miami University is a one-to-one student owned laptop school, with MacBook and MacBook

Pro computers. Garage Band and iMovie were used extensively, along with Adobe InDesign

and Illustrator.

ThechallengethatMiamiUniversitychose Makeundergraduateeducationrelevant!correlates

with the overarching philosophy of challenge based learning to create learning experiences that

transcendtheboundariesofcurrent,traditionaleducation.Theopportunitytoseehowstudentsclosest

toenteringtherealworldembracedtheprojectisextremelyvaluableinsightforadvancingCBL.At

thesametime,theparticipatingstudentsherecanbeperceivedasatadisadvantagecomparedto

othercases;theK-12yearsaremuchmoreformative,whereasstudentsinhighereducationmaybetoo

accustomedtospecificmethodsoflearning.

Atfirstthestudentsseemedtobefloatingalittle,sharedProfessorPegFaimonatthebeginningofCBL

implementation.Ithinksomeofthestudentsinthisclassthatwereteachingareusedtoalittlebitmore

ofafreeformapproach,alittlelessstructure,alittlemoreself-initiative,butsomeofthemarent.So,I

thinktheyrestartingtogettheirlegsunderthemintermsoffeelingliketheyhavealittlemorepersonal


29/39


directionandownershipoftheproblem.Astheprojectprogressed,itbecameincreasinglyclearthat

positivegroupdynamicsmotivatedeveryonetosucceed.

Ifeelthateachofusarepositivelybenefitingtheproject,saidonestudent.Thereisnosinglestrong

leaderatthispoint,andweswitchoffinthatrole.Iammakingadifferenceinthegroupbasedonmy

technologicalskillsandideas.

Asanaddeddimensiontothechallenge,theparticipatingstudentswereahybridofbothregularand

honorstudentsfromdifferentdisciplinesandbackgrounds,thoughthatdidnotprovetobeahindrance.

Everyoneisparticipatingintheirownway,astudentasserted.Weeachbringsomethingdifferentto

thetablewithourdifferentbackgroundandtalents.Ingeneral,thestudentstookaresearch-intensive

approachtosolvingthechallenge,interviewingcollegegraduatesatvariousstagesintheircareers,

deployingstudentandfacultysurveys,andfindingengagingactivitiesatotheruniversitieseventhose

online.Theunderstandingwasthatthenecessarychangecouldonlytakeplaceoncethestudentswere

trulyengagedinlearningotherpeoplesandinstitutionseducationalgoals,aswellastheirperceptions

oftheirlearningexperiences.

Layingthegroundworkforimplementingsolutionsmaynothaveposedtoomanyroadblocksforthestudents,butimplementingsolutionsprovedtobemorechallenging.Wehavegeneratedalotofgood

ideas,saidastudent.However,itisdifficulttofeasiblyimplementmanyofthesegoodideas.

Perhapsoneofthemostimportantbenefitswasthattheexperienceofchallengebasedlearningitself

counteredsomeofthedisenchantmentoftraditionallearning.Idoenjoyworkingonprojectsbecause

theyareextremelyfulfillingwhenyouhaveafinishedprojectorhaveaccomplishedagoal,onestudent

opined.Thefactthattheyrequireadeliberateeffortoveramoreextendedperiodoftimethanstudying

afewdaysinadvancefora test,I feelmuchmoreaccomplishedafterputtinginthelargeamountof

effort.Workingforanendresultissomethingthatreallymotivatesme.

Theuseof21stcenturytoolshelpedmaintainthislevelofengagementthroughouttheproject.StudentslearnedandutilizedawidevarietyoftoolsonMacBookandMacBookProcomputers,includingiMovie,

GarageBand, InDesign, and Illustrator. In using this technology, students experimented in creative

ways.Severaloftheteamscreatedprintedmaterialsaspartofthesolutionstothechallenge,Faimon

recounted.Oneteamcreatedavisualmappingsystemtoshowhow liberaleducationclassesrelate

tooneanother.Anotherteamcreatedabrochurethatidentifieddifferentaspectsofthemanystudent

organizationsoncampus.AnotherteamcreatedapromopiecefortheCareerServicesOffice.


30/39


RecommendationsWehavelearnedalotaboutchallengebasedlearningaftertwomajorstudies.Dozensofschools,nearly

100teachers,andthousandsofstudentshavetriedtheapproachsuccessfully. Alongtheway,weve

documentedtheecacyofchallengebasedlearninginawidevarietyofsettingsandweveseen

bestpracticesemergethatarealreadybeginningtoinformnewimplementationsofCBL.Thissectionof

ourreportextendstheresearchndingsintoeightrecommendationsforpractitioners.

Pp chs by uc hm chll bs l pssllpm wkshp s.Usethistimetoanswerquestionsabouttheprocess,share

examples fromthis implementationand similar projects,andhelpteachers understand their role,

whichmaybeverydierentfromwhattheyareusedtodoing.Setexpectationsaboutwhatteachers

will do and what students will beaskedto doso that students hear a clear, consistent message

throughouttheprojectfromeveryoneinvolved.A full-scaleositeretreatisnot necessary;thekey

componentsareadedicatedtimeandplace,someonetoexplaintheprocessandanswerquestions,a

chanceforteacherstoexpresstheirconcernsandbeheard,andanopportunityforthemtocollaborate

ondesigningthechallenges.ThisworkshopshouldnotonlyfocusontheconceptualaspectsofCBL,

butalsogiveparticipantsthechancetopracticethebasicskillsandtoolstheywillneedtohelptheir

studentsgetthemostfromtheexperience.

P chs wh bsc , u, m .Communicationin

todaysworldtakesmanyforms,anditisincreasinglyclearthatteachersneedtobeuentindigital

media.Astrongcasecanbemadefortheinclusionofbasicskillstrainingevenwhileteachersarein

pre-servicetraining.Anevenstrongercasecanbemadeforongoingprofessionaldevelopmentfor

teachersaroundnewtoolsandtechniqueswithdigitalmedia,butthereisnoquestionthatteachers

contemplatingusingCBLwillneedsolidbasicunderstandingofhowvideo,audioandimagesare

captured,edited,andusedtoconveyinformation.HalfoftheteachersinvolvedintheCBListudylisted

videoastheirtopprofessionaldevelopmentneed,abovechallengebasedlearningitself.

m h chll wys h ply l h sus, mk l.Theprocess

inwhichthechallengeisframediscriticalinengagingstudents.Itmustbemeaningful,relevantto

theirlives,allowforawiderangeofsolutions,andperceivedbystudentsascapable(andworthy)

ofgeneratingpositiveactionsinresponse.Itiscrucialforthechallengetoactuallyrelatetothereal

worldandforittohaveanimpactonthestudentsfamilies,localcommunities,orschool.Student

commentsindicateexcitementandengagementaroundtheideaofbeingabletopersonallyhavean

impact,andamajorityofstudentsbothanticipatedthattheywouldbeabletomakeadierenceand


31/39


feltthattheyhadafterward.Itisalsoimportantthatthesizeofthechallengeisinlinewiththetime

andresourcesavailablefortheproject;ifthechallengeistoobig,kidsdonotknowwheretostart.The

teachersguidanceisextremelyimportantbothinselectingappropriatechallengesand inframing

theminsuchawaythatstudentscangettheirarmsaroundwhatisbeingaskedofthem.

allw chs pl pp m, su sus h uh m

cmpl mul slu.Thecriticalissuesaroundtimearetoallocateitinproportiontothescopeofthechallenge,andtohelpstudentsbreakdowntheoverallprojectintoreasonable

segments.Enoughtimemustbeallowedforstudentstoworkthroughthebigideaandbrainstorm

researchquestions,butthereisapointofdiminishingreturnswhenbrainstormingmustendand

research must begin. Likewise, students need plenty of time to do the research and brainstorm

solutions,butthentheymuststopbrainstormingandselectonesolutiontodevelop.Finally,they

needtimetoactualizetheirsolutionandtoputitintopractice.Thesepointsintheprojectaredicult

forstudents to recognize,particularly if theyare newto challengebased learning.Teachers must

designtheexperiencesothatstudentsunderstandhowtomoveonattherightpoints.

esu sus h h ppuy c h slus. The kind of learning thattakesplaceinchallengebasedprojectsisreinforcedbyaction,andstudentswilllearnmuchfrom

the implementation oftheir own ideas. Part ofthe attraction ofthe projectsto the students was

theopportunitytopersuadetheirpeersandtheadultsintheirlifetotakepartintheactivitiesthey

designed.Inorderforstudentstoseethattheycanmakeadierence,theymustbeallowedtocarry

theirsolutionsthroughtoaction.Implementationisaccompaniedbymajoroutcomesintermsof

the acquisition of 21stCentury Skillssuch as communication, leadership, civicliteracy, and social

responsibilityamongmanyothers.

m wkups wh y w h ls up ymcs.Thenumberoneissue

withkidsrelatedtoCBL,especiallyingradessevento10,isthecompositionofworkgroups.Students

wanttobeingroupsthattheyperceivewillbeabletodoagoodjob.Anaspectofthisisrelatedtoa

corestrengthofchallengebasedlearningitprovidesawayforyoungpeopletoengagewithan

ideatheyseeasimportanttotheirlives.Anaturalanddesiredresultisthattheywillbemotivatedto

dotheirbestwork,andthatmotivationplaysintowhymanystudentswantahandingroupselection.

Atthesametime,teachersshouldnotgiveawaytheprocessofgroupformation.Thekeyistoensure

thattheassignmentofstudentstogroupsisalignedinsupportofthegroupactivities.Someconict

isagoodthingwhenstudentsareabletoworkpastit,butmoreresearchisneededintoeectiveways

toreducefrictionwithinstudentworkgroups.

Bul 21s Cuy Sklls h pc h m h s.Whilenearlyeveryskillidentied

bythe Partnership for 21st Century Skillsemerged naturally from the types of activities students

engagedinastheyworkedonthechallenges,itwouldbeveryeasytoincludethemall.Teachers

who are aware ofthe list ofskills can incorporatespecic project components tobuild onthem.

Skillssuchasnancialandeconomicliteracyareanaturaltforchallengesrelatedtotheeconomy,

butalmostanytopiccouldhaveanancialcomponent.Teacherscanplannalprojectrequirements

thatincorporatesubsetsofthe21stCenturySkills,orencourageexplorationandresearchthathelps

studentsdevelopcertainskills.


32/39


Pcc, , mp h pcss.Itisanaturalandpredicableresponseforteachersto

havesomeuncertaintyattheoutsetoftheirrstCBLproject,butasthisstudyshows,thevastmajority

ofteachersareeasilyabletolearnandimplementCBL.Commonsensewouldsupportthenotion

thatthesecondandthirdtimestheyimplementaCBLprojectwillbemuchsmootherthantherst

one,andthatskillsdevelopedalongthewaywillnottaketimeawayfromothertasksoncelearned.A

c

Documents

Challenge Based Learning Report From the Implementation Project