Helping Students to Build Multicultural and Multidisciplinary Competences: A Pilot of Challenge-Based Collaborative Learning on a Digital Gamified Platform

Abstract

Global issues such as poverty, hunger, and environmental problems are inextricable and cannot be solved comprehensively by homogeneous groups. With the advance of technology, collaborations with peoples at different geographical locations can be achieved effectively. Higher education in the 21^st Century must therefore facilitate students to learn how to eclectically connect their creativity and problem-solving skills with technology, and most importantly to work with heterogeneous groups to solve complex global issues.

This paper will elaborate on a pilot study of a project in Hong Kong, titled the CCGame Project, which aims to heighten students’ multicultural and multidisciplinary competences by deploying gamified learning and challenge-based learning. Team-based, self-guided learning is the core of the challenge-based learning approach. To preserve students’ interest in learning and accomplishing the tasks for the team, cloud-based learning platforms have been deployed. In the pilot, the online learning platform collected data for analysis of individual and team behaviour. The pilot demonstrated that students could work in a diverse team to complete a challenge. Evidence-based results supported with data analytics will be presented and the project’s plan of work will also be elucidated in this paper.