Modularisation

Challenge-Based Learning is by nature complex, interdisciplinary, and devoid of traditional lectures, placing significant demands on learners to seek out and integrate knowledge from multiple fields autonomously. Modularisation addresses this by organising content into stand-alone, independent units that can be undertaken in different orders and accumulated at different speeds, shifting the curriculum from what institutions want to deliver toward what learners actually need (Dejene, 2019). This structure supports learner autonomy and self-regulated learning: rather than following a fixed sequence, students can identify gaps in their own understanding and access relevant content at the moment it becomes meaningful (Zimmerman, 2002). Because CBL challenges are inherently multi- and interdisciplinary, modular content drawn from diverse disciplines allows learners to integrate knowledge across boundaries and connect their thinking to address complex, real-world problems (Ye & Xu, 2023). In the absence of traditional lectures, well-designed (digital and e-) modular content provides the conceptual scaffolding learners need, on their own terms, at their own pace, and anchored in the context of a challenge they are actively working to solve (Kaur et al., 2024).

Read more

• Dejene, W. (2019). The practice of modularized curriculum in higher education institution: Active learning and continuous assessment in focus. Cogent Education, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1611052
• Kaur, A., et al. (2024). A review of strategies to incorporate flexibility in higher education course designs. Discover Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00213-8
• Ye, P., & Xu, X. (2023). A case study of interdisciplinary thematic learning curriculum to cultivate "4C skills." Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1080811. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1080811
• Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 64–70. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4102_2