The session will look at puzzle-based and case study scenarios for teaching practices for online courses. The concept is to provide challenges for students to accomplish online that is pertinent to the course and can be relative to the student, which allows the student a unique learning experience.
While, puzzle-based learning has been utilized in engineering courses, the concept is being utilized in different genres. For instance, the BreakoutEDU is a puzzle-based challenge that can be designed to provide students with various problems to solve while learning and using critical thinking skills to solve the problems. Most of the puzzle-based learning models are for in-person or in-classroom settings, however, through case scenarios and other puzzle-based challenges, students can have the opportunity to participate in a puzzle-based challenge.
The concept also allows instructors to evaluate student’s knowledge and progress. Through the various aspects of a challenge, the instructor can evaluate a student’s progress as the student proceeds through the challenge. If the student has issues, the instructor will be able to determine the student’s deficiencies in the course material, as well as the student. This process can be important in student retention, by addressing the student’s deficiencies before the student progresses to the next challenge.
The ability to intervene and correct a student before the student moves forward could be essential in reducing remedial courses. As universities seek to reduce student debt and increase retention and graduation rates, remedial courses are being replaced with foundation courses that allows students with deficiencies to enroll in a credit-bearing course. The courses are designed to assist those deficient students with the opportunity to gain the basic subject skills to complete the course with credit. Through the puzzle-based concept, instructors will be able to maintain the student’s progress and assist the student to meet the basic needs and complete the college awarded credit.
Other advantages to the challenge based projects for online courses is student engagement. The concept requires students to be more engaged and involved through completing the challenges. While the students complete the challenges, they will be gaining and utilizing information from the course, which will be guided through the instructor’s design and course goals. The concept also creates a more exciting and challenging environment that differs from the traditional online approach of creating tasks and discussion boards as a form of student engagement.
Finally, the puzzle-based and case scenario learning concept can provide students the opportunity to complete challenges with real world applications. For instance, a challenge could be designed to simulate a student’s career path, such as a scenario for a student in a leadership class could complete a series of leadership scenarios in a workplace situation. By using the real world idea, students can have a connection to the course, the assignment, and gain pertinent information for their chosen field.
The concept is an excellent opportunity to engage student in an online course, as well as providing students and instructors with a unique teaching structure. Through a puzzle-based learning concept, the process allows students the ability to be challenged and learn through a different technique.