Extended abstract
Challenges and solutions in multiple stakeholder engagement in CBL Overall relevance to the CBL domain As CBL-driven curricula expands at many universities in Europe, the number of external partners involved also increases. Collaborating with multiple external stakeholders asks for careful thought and organizational efforts to safeguard the (e-)quality of students’ learning, while also achieving desirable results for these partners. Ensuring commitment, alignment of interest and equal engagement of multiple stakeholders in CBL is key, yet it, remains a challenging task for educators and coordinators. Therefore, this research explores the key challenges and solutions to organizing stakeholder engagement in CBL. Theoretical Background and Rationale for the study Especially for entrepreneurial universities, stakeholder engagement in both research and teaching is essential for technology transfer and creating societal impact (Gianoiodis & Meek, 2020). CBL provides an important learning environment where students and stakeholders collaborate on real-world challenges, resulting in impactful outcomes across various social domains and enhancing learning achievements through experiential learning (KohnRadberg et al, 2020, van den Beemt et al, 2023). Stakeholders may include entrepreneurs, technology parks, companies, non-governmental organizations (NGO's), governmental organizations, alumni, and more (Bischoff et al 2018). Active participation of stakeholders in CBL is key (Price et al., 2022). Also, students’ self-directed learning is central in CBL (Leijon et al., 2022) and requires them to collaborate with a diverse group of stakeholders to define challenges, create solutions, and gain feedback throughout the learning process (Gibson et al., 2019; Price et al., 2022). Besides this, stakeholders can also play a role in assessing learning achievements and outcomes (Pittaway et al, 2009). Given this variety, stakeholders may differ in their backgrounds, interest, level of engagement, and perceptions of their importance to the learning process versus outcomes (Bischoff et al, 2018). In this context, Price et al. (2022) stress the importance of expectation management in CBL, since the result of the course may not always yield positive results for industry partners. Hence, tensions between achieving learning objectives and presenting accessible, useful solutions to industry partners may easily occur. Consequently, as the number of CBL courses expands, challenges related to coordination and expectation management are likely to arise. Although previous research has examined the benefits of industry partnerships in CBL (Price et al., 2022) and highlighted the challenges of engaging multiple stakeholders (Price et al., 2022, Bischof et al, 2018), there is limited understanding of alignment and organizational challenges such as expectation management, preparation for education, and planning for multiple stakeholder engagement in CBL, prior to and during the learning process. Hence, our research question: What are the alignment and organizational challenges of engaging multiple stakeholders in CBL courses, and how can these challenges be successfully resolved? Research Methodology and Design To examine these challenges and solutions, we apply qualitative research methods. First, we organize a World Café session as part of a workshop at the University of Twente in the Netherlands in January 2025 Following this, we conduct in–depth interviews and focus groups. Our key informants throughout all stages of data collection include stakeholders experienced with HEI education, students, CBL-experienced teachers and educational/policy experts of the University of Twente. The purpose of the World Café session is twofold. In the first phase, we explore the various demands of each target group and how to balance expectations. In the second phase, we discuss potential solutions to the challenges with all participants. The emerging insights can inform responsible educational designs for engaging multiple stakeholders in CBL which are verified and refined through in-depth interviews and focus groups selected research participants. Thirdly, the solutions will be translated into practical tools and tested in a CBL course involving multiple stakeholders at the University of Twente. Results and Findings We expect the following results: First, a clear overview of the alignment and organizational challenges, structured by their impact on learning quality and outcomes—ranging from low to high impact. Second, we aim to develop a concept proven tool that helps educators and coordinators in overcoming and anticipating these challenges in each phase of the learning process, including the selection of stakeholders. Educational Impact With this research, we create the following impact. First, we close the gap between theory and practice in the alignment and organizational challenges of multiple stakeholder engagement in CBL. Second, we offer an evidence-based toolbox to help ensure the interest of multiple stakeholders in terms of the quality of learning outcomes. References Bischoff, K., Volkmann, C. K., & Audretsch, D. B. (2018). 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Leijon, M., Gudmundsson, P., Staaf, P., & Christersson, C. (2022). Challenge based learning in higher education–A systematic literature review. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 59(5), 609-618. Pittaway, L., Hannon, P., Gibb, A., & Thompson, J. (2009). Assessment practice in enterprise education. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 15(1), 71-93. Price, L., Michel-Villarreal, R., Pimanava, H., & Ge, C. (2022). Implementing CBL in HEI Curricula: Challenges and Opportunities for Industry Partners. The Emerald Handbook of Challenge Based Learning, 345-361. van den Beemt, A., van de Watering, G., & Bots, M. (2023). Conceptualising variety in challenge-based learning in higher education: the CBL-compass. European Journal of Engineering Education, 48(1), 24-41.
