Distributed student team work in challenge-based innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) course

Abstract

Challenge-based learning is proposed as an alternative to traditional learning in training engineering graduates with the skills for the future. It puts equal emphasis on academic learning and on competences that students need more for their jobs. Challenge-based leaning is the learning in which students learn through understanding and resolution of a real-world challenge. In this paper we show how such challenge-based course can be implemented in a cross-university setting in which students work on challenges provided by companies: the Universities that implemented the course are University of Trento, UNITN, Italy and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM, Spain and in it students form and work in teams composed of students coming from both of the locations. Both of the locations delivered the course at the same time. The positive feedback from the students shows the importance of such new multi method to train students adequately for remote team-work and training them with skills for 21st century, especially in the era of digital transformation. In addition, our paper draws important leanings on how to set such cross-university teams as well as important future research directions.