Exploring the CBL Process within a European Alliance

The European Universities Initiative, spearheaded by the European Commission, seeks to foster collaborative networks comprising higher education institutions across the European continent. These alliances serve to enhance the international competitiveness of European universities, while simultaneously promoting European values through the medium of long-term cooperation. A particular emphasis has been placed on Challenge-Based Learning (CBL), a student-centred, active learning approach that addresses societal challenges and cultivates competencies such as teamwork, problem-solving, and communication. CBL affords students the opportunity to address authentic, real-world problems without the constraints of predefined solutions, thereby fostering creativity and self-leadership. The European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU) is one of 64 alliances within this initiative, aiming to integrate CBL into its educational offerings. These learning opportunities, designated as "Challenges," are distinguished by their interdisciplinary nature, practical relevance, and collaboration with external partners. They are designed to facilitate the development of competencies in a manner that is integrated into the academic trajectory of students. The objective of this paper is to disseminate insights regarding the facilitating and hindering factors involved in conducting CBL across a network of 12+ partners, as well as to present strategies for the creation of a comprehensive portfolio of learning opportunities (by July 2024, a total of 203 opportunities will have been developed, not connected to a specific study programme or joint degrees). The review of the past two years, conducted during our second funding period, has yielded a number of educational and organisational insights, which have highlighted both strengths and areas for improvement