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40 – Student/GTA Attitudes and Performance: Research Findings

Students’ Perceptions on Challenge Based Instruction

at University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley

A form of problem-based learning, Challenge Based Instruction (CBI) is developed upon the philosophical framework of "How People Learn", which illustrates that for a learning environment to be effective, it must possess four common dimensions (pictured above): a focus on knowledge, the learner, assessment and the community (Bransford et al 1999). Therefore, CBI incorporates important cognitive and affective elements recommended for retaining underrepresented minority students (Altschuld & White, 2006; Boaler, 2002). A challenge begins with an open-ended problem followed by the opportunity to generate ideas and questions about the challenge. Then, students encounter multiple perspectives on the issue and have the opportunity to revise their initial ideas in light of new information. In the final phases of CBI, students test their developing understanding of the challenge before going public with a final response. In this project, we employed pre- and post-surveys to assess students' perceptions of CBI in various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) classes. Participants of the survey included college students in a STEM course, high school students enrolled in the Dual Enrollment Engineering Academy program, and high school students enrolled in the fourth year TexPREP program in the past two years.