P ac ice Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Engelha d , F., W ede, S., Schönb od , S., Büsing, C., &
S amm, B. (2025). The Compu a ional and Ma hema ical Modeling P og am
(CAMMP) – Lessons Lea ned on In e disciplina y Challenge-Based Lea ning. In
Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual
Con e ence. Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e,
Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17631434.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
The Compu a ional and Ma hema ical Modeling P og am (CAMMP)
– Lessons Lea ned on In e disciplina y Challenge-Based Lea ning
F. Engelha d a,
1
, S. W ede b,
S. Schönb od c, C. Büsing d, B. S amm e
a Teaching and Resea ch A ea Combina o ial Op imiza ion,
RWTH Aachen Uni e si y, Ge many, ORCID: 0009-0007-7705-4508
b Teaching and Resea ch A ea Combina o ial Op imiza ion,
RWTH Aachen Uni e si y, Ge many, ORCID: 0009-0000-8813-9952
c Depa men o Ma hema ics, Pa is Lod on Uni e si y o Salzbu g,
Aus ia, ORCID: 0000-0003-2383-6081
d Teaching and Resea ch A ea Combina o ial Op imiza ion,
RWTH Aachen Uni e si y, Ge many, ORCID: 0000-0002-3394-2788
e Chai o Nume ical Ma hema ics o High Pe o mance Compu ing,
Uni e si y o S u ga , Ge many, ORCID: 0000-0003-3375-483X
Con e ence Key A eas: Teaching ma hema ics and physics in enginee ing
educa ion, Enginee ing skills, p o essional skills, and ans e sal skills
Keywo ds: P oblem-based Lea ning, P ojec -based Lea ning, Ma hema ical
Modeling, Case S udy
ABSTRACT
Ma hema ical modelling is a key enginee ing compe ence. Howe e , many ex book
p oblems all sho o he complexi y and ambigui y o he eal-wo ld. The
Compu a ional and Ma hema ical Modeling P og am (CAMMP) is a c oss-uni e si y
p ojec o os e skills in ma hema ical modelling, including model building,
implemen a ion and e alua ion. Du ing he CAMMP week P o (CWP), Bachelo 's and
Mas e 's s uden s o di e en enginee ing disciplines and ma hema ics join ly wo k
on eal-wo ld esea ch p oblems om indus y and academia. In his wo k, we
p esen a case s udy o i e i e a ions o he CWP. We ou line he s uc u e o he
cou se and e alua e i based on quali a i e analysis o s uden eedback and
e alua ion documen s. We ind ha s uden s some imes s uggle wi h he open
na u e o challenges, and ha hei s udy expe ience is s ongly shaped by he
supe ision hey expe ience. Fu he mo e, we de i e p ac ical ecommenda ions
1
Co esponding Au ho
F. Engelha d
engelha d @combi. w h-aachen.de
ega ding collabo a ion, supe ision and s uden s' pe cep ion o hei oles bo h as
g oup membe s and as aspi ing enginee s and scien is s.
1 INTRODUCTION
To use ma hema ics in p ac ice, ma hema icians and enginee s need o be able o
model he eal wo ld ma hema ically, and o o mula e and execu e p oblem sol ing
s a egies ha employ ma hema ical me hods (Alpe s, 2013). Challenge-based
lea ning (CBL) desc ibes a amily o ac i e lea ning app oaches ha ocus on ha ing
s uden s de elop hei skills by wo king on au hen ic, open challenges, gene ally as
pa o a mul idisciplina y eam; o a mo e de ailed discussion see Gallaghe &
Sa age (2020). Combining hese wo, he Compu a ional and Ma hema ical
Modeling P og am (CAMMP) is a eaching and esea ch ini ia i e aimed a os e ing
ma hema ical modelling and p oblem sol ing compe encies h ough eal-wo ld
p oblems
2
, which “s imula es lea ning and helps de eloping impo an p o essional
skills such as p oblem sol ing and in e disciplina y collabo a ion” (Hadg a &
Kolmos, 2020). Wi hin he p og am, CAMMP week P o (CWP) is a week-long block
cou se o uni e si y s uden s om compu a ional enginee ing science, ma hema ics
and simula ion sciences. Du ing he week, g oups o s uden s ha e o join ly sol e a
eal-wo ld esea ch challenge. These challenges a e p o ided ei he by he Jülich
Resea ch Cen e (Fo schungszen um Jülich / FZJ), by esea che s a RWTH
Aachen Uni e si y o by indus y pa ne s. In his p ac ical wo k, we p o ide a case
s udy o i e CWP i e a ions, pe o med o e he cou se o i e yea s, including he
Co ona c isis. We quali a i ely analyse s uden eedback su eys and in e nal
e alua ions using e lexi e hema ic analysis (B own & Cla ke, 2022). Based on his
we p o ide insigh s o p ac ice. We begin wi h ou lining he con ex o he CWP in
Sec ion 2.1, ollowed by explaining he da a analysed (Sec ion 2.2) and he me hods
used o ha (Sec ion 2.3). In Sec ion 3, we p esen and discuss he esul s o he
da a analysis. Finally, Sec ion 4 o e s a sho conclusion.
2 CONTEXT AND PRACTICAL WORK
2.1 Con ex and Con en o he Cou se
The CWP is a mul i-day elec i e block cou se. I is o ganised by he Aachen pa o
he CAMMP ne wo k. CAMMP p edominan ly o ganises ma hema ical modeling
weeks o high school s uden s (Schönb od e al., 2022). This builds on a long
adi ion o high school modeling p ojec s a di e en Ge man and Aus ian
uni e si ies (Vo höl e e al., 2019). Lea ning goals o he cou se include os e ing
s uden s ma hema ical modelling compe encies, and imp o ing hei compe encies
o esea ch, speci ically ega ding eamwo k and p ojec / ime managemen . No ably,
o many pa icipa ing ins i u es, acqui ing s uden assis an s and iden i ying
p omising s uden s o esea ch ocused heses a e he main easons o
pa icipa ing in he CWP. The CWP was de eloped based on he high school
CAMMP week, wi h a special emphasis on open esea ch challenges. O e all, i e
i e a ions o CWP a e conside ed in his s udy. Table 1 gi es an o e iew o hei
loca ions, he challenges and he numbe o pa icipan s in each i e a ion.
2
CAMMP websi e: h ps://www.cammp.online/english/index.php, las access: 2025-03-26.
Table 1. Challenges, loca ions and numbe o pa icipan s o he CWPs om 2020 o 2024.
2020 Online
2021 Aachen
2022 Voe en
2023 Voe en
2024 Simme a h
33 s uden s, 13 s a
20 s uden s, 9 s a
40 s uden s, 12 s a
34 s uden s, 11 s a
23 s uden s, 7 s a
Anomalous Di usion in
Memb anes
P ocess Design o
Polyme Recycling
A Pa icula Ma e o
Coo dina ion:
Unde s anding Solid
Two-Phase Pe cola ing
Modeling he
T anspo a ion o
Hospi al Beds
Disco e ing S ochas ic
Pe i Ne s
Diagnosing he Po ous
S uc u e o Fuel Cell
Elec odes
I 's all connec ed!
Pe cola ion heo y
applied o uel cell
ca alys laye s.
Recons uc ing he
Topology o Spiking
Neu al Ne wo ks
Based on he Fi ing
Ac i i y
Accele a ed
Con o mance Checking
3D S uc u e Gene a ion
in Compu e -Aided
Molecula Design
Supply Chain
Managemen o Polyme
Recycling
Co ec ion me hods o
empe a u e e ie al in
he uppe a mosphe e
Iden i ying G a i y Wa e
E en s om A mosphe ic
3D-Tempe a u e Da a
Robus Capaci y
Expansion Planning o
Ene gy Sys ems
Timely Diagnosis:
P edic Diagnosis Time
o Unco e Dispa i ies in
Heal h Access o B eas
Cance
Machine lea ning in
Ma e ials Science
Fea u e ex ac ion in
e ol ed/op imized
spiking neu al ne wo ks
Communica ion
In as uc u e o
Plane a y Explo a ion
Bayesian Op imiza ion
o Ch oma og aphy
Models
Pa ame e Es ima ion
Model p edic i e con ol
o dis ic hea ing
ne wo ks
Wo king a he Cen e s o
Disease Con ol and
P e en ion
Reac o Modelling and
Simula ion o Mic ogel
P oduc ion
Quan um Annealing
Pa icle Ma ching in
DEM Simula ions
Iden i ying G a i y Wa e
E en s
Da a p ocessing chain o
He e odyne spec ome e
And he memo ies b ing
back, memo ies b ing
back you: shape -
memo y polyme s
Quan um Annealing
Shape Memo y Alloys
F equency Response
Diagnos ics o Fuel Cell
Pa icipan s we e p edominan ly om compu a ional enginee ing science (n=36),
ma hema ics (n=50) o simula ion sciences (n=55) in hei Mas e s (n=107) o a he
end o hei Bachelo s' deg ees (n=40). As all s uden s' subjec ields a e closely
ela ed, his cons i u es a domain p ojec , ollowing he amewo k by Kolmos e al.
(2024). C i ically, his implies a na ow in e disciplina i y, whe e s uden s sha e some
knowledge pa adigms, which simpli ies collabo a ion.
Challenges: Indus y pa ne s o he pa aking ins i u es, esea che s om indus y,
RWTH and FZJ a e asked o p o ide esea ch p oblems om hei cu en wo k. Fo
example, a RWTH chemical enginee ing ins i u e challenged s uden s o imp o e a
gene ic algo i hm hey use o op imise molecula s uc u es, and a local company
planning enewable hea sys ems se up s uden s o plan a hea supply ne wo k o
pa o Aachen. In line wi h Johnson e al. (2009), cases ep esen open esea ch
ques ions ha a e mo i a ed by socie al, as well as economic ques ions. The case
holde s esea che s also ad ise s uden s du ing he CWP.
Be o e he week: S uden s egis e se e al weeks in ad ance. They a e hen gi en
a choice o challenges o o e hei p e e ences on. Teams o 4-6 s uden s a e
c ea ed based on p e e ences and based on he concep o mixing di e en cou ses
o s udy o ensu e mul idisciplina y eams. S uden s a e old hei g oup composi ion
and challenge a ew days in ad ance o ha e ime o ins all so wa e.
Du ing he week: The CWP i sel gene ally spans Monday-F iday and akes place in
a you h hos el. In 2020, CWP was ins ead done emo ely o e he cou se o wo
weeks. No mally, pa icipan s a e welcomed on Monday mo ning wi h gene al
in o ma ion on he p og am and ma hema ical modelling. They hen do some eam
exe cises, since o many s uden s his will be hei i s g oup p ojec . An exempla y
exe cise consis s o pai s o s uden s picking and discussing andom sequences o
p omp s on eamwo k and communica ion o aise awa eness o po en ial issues,
since collabo a i e lea ning is a key elemen o CBL (Doulouge i, 2024). Then,
s uden s wo k on hei challenges. Tha includes ini ial sessions wi h he ad iso s,
whe e he p oblems a e explained in de ail. The i s / hi d e enings a e designa ed
o social e en s. The hi d e ening is also used as a ne wo king and eedback
oppo uni y wi h in i ed ex e nal gues s, like case p o ide s and u he esea che s.
S uden s may con inue wo king a e dinne , al hough his is no expec ed. On
F iday, s uden s ha e hei inal p esen a ions, and a social e en in he e ening.
Assessmen : All assessmen is designed o be o ma i e, as his se es o os e
s uden lea ning and mo i a ion (Sanchez-Lopez e al., 2023), which is he key goal
o he CAMMP p ojec . Du ing he week, each ad iso con inuously in e ac s wi h
hei g oup. On he second day, all ad iso s ha e a join mee ing o e alua e
p og ess, which is epea ed on Thu sday. On Wednesday a quick eedback ound is
done wi h he s uden s o iden i y po en ial challenges and o check in on p og ess.
Thu sday a e noon s uden s ha e o gi e a mock g oup p esen a ion o p epa e o
hei inal p esen a ion on F iday. The mock p esen a ion is accompanied by a
eedback session wi h he s uden s case ad iso oge he wi h o he case ad iso s o
some o he o ganising p o esso s. A ocus is pu on p esen a ion skills, he use o
app op ia e isualiza ions and clea communica ion. The inal g oup p esen a ions
a e be ween 20-30 minu es and should ou line he gi en challenge, i s ele ance and
wha me hods we e used o add ess i . This is ollowed by a discussion session,
gene ally ini ia ed by a posi i ely amed eedback ound by he ad iso , o suppo
sel -e icacy. Each g oup also has o hand in a epo o 8-10 pages desc ibing hei
wo k as well as he gi eposi o y wi h code and esul s by he end o he week.
S uden s a e gi en w i en eedback on hei epo s, wi h a ocus on gene al
scien i ic w i ing ad ice. Depending on hei cou se o s udy, s uden s may ecei e 3-
5 ECTS o he cou se. S uden s ha ge mo e ECTS ha e o hand in an indi idual
epo as well. In line wi h he o ma i e ocus o he cou se, g ading is done on a
pass/ ail basis only. He e, a cen al pa o he cou se design is con inuous eedback.
This cons i u es an impo an pa o e ec i e CBL (Dikili aş e al., 2025), speci ically
as s uden s ge o p o ide eedback o ad iso s and o ganise s du ing CWP, as well.
2.2 Da a Used o Case S udy
S uden s we e asked o ill ou anonymous eedback su eys du ing and a e he
cou se. In o al, s uden s illed ou 62 su eys. The su eys consis o open ques ions
on s uden s' expec a ions, hei expe iences, hei le el o p io knowledge and
whe he hey would ha e liked any addi ional in o ma ion conce ning CWP. S uden s
we e also asked o gi e ecommenda ions o u he i e a ions and o p o ide
eedback on hei g oup's challenge, he g oup wo k and indi idual lea ning gains.
Finally, hey could p o ide open commen s. As no ed be o e, he ad iso s gene ally
hold wo join mee ings du ing he week, whe e eedback is collec ed. The e is also a
join eedback session a e CWP. I s mee ing no es we e also consul ed.
2.3 Da a Analysis
We ca ego ised s uden e alua ions in o mul iple o e a ching hemes. We discuss
hem in sequence, adding e e ences o in e nal documen s when needed. Some
sou ces we e in Ge man, hose we e ansla ed o English. Since mos pa icipan s
a e no na i e English speake s, o imp o e eadabili y we co ec ed spelling and
g amma mis akes when ci ing s uden s. All da a analysis was done by wo
independen esea che s. This was done ollowing he ecommenda ions o
hema ic analysis ou lined in Magui e & Delahun (2017), based on he p ocess o
hema ic analysis ou lined in B own and Cla ke (2006). Fi s , s uden su ey esul s
we e skimmed o e mul iple imes. Then, hey we e induc i ely coded and ini ial
hemes we e gene a ed om he da a. A e wa ds, hose we e e iewed oge he
and i e a i ely de ined in a sequence o discussions. The wo esea che s we e
hemsel es he main o ganise s o he CWP in 2021/2022 and 2023/2024,
espec i ely. As such, hey d ew on hei pe sonal expe iences o con ex ualise
s uden answe s. The o ganise om 2023/2024 was also a pa icipan in he 2021
CWP. Bo h ha e se e al yea s o eaching expe ience o d aw upon. Following
B aun and Cla ke (2022), we poin ou aspec s in he da a analysis whe e we belie e
hose pe sonal expe iences in o m he in e p e a ion o s uden s' s a emen s and
in e nal e alua ions. Thus, he ollowing no only cons i u es an analysis o (s uden )
eedback, bu also a pe sonal e lec ion on pas and cu en eaching p ac ices.
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In he ollowing, we discuss he six ca ego ies we gene a ed om he da a.
Ca ego y 1: Sa is ac ion & Mo i a ion Many s uden s deno ed a ia ions o
“CAMMP was g ea , I would do i again!”, as well as ha hei expec a ions we e me ,
hey enjoyed he g oup wo k and hey liked hei challenges. When s uden s ga e
easons o hei sa is ac ion, hey o en no ed he la ge au onomy hey had in
s uc u ing hei wo k, ge ing insigh s in o cu en esea ch opics and doing ac ual
esea ch hemsel es. Teamwo k was also equen ly men ioned as a clea posi i e.
P e ious esea ch has ound bo h s uden s ha a e in a ou o eamwo k (Sekha e
al., 2022) and hose ha p e e wo king independen ly (Linga d & Ba ka aki, 2011).
Apa om a selec ion bias, he ac ha some s uden s s em om lec u e-hea y
adi ional Bachelo ’s enginee ing p og ams may con ibu e o hei posi i e a i udes.
Ca ego y 2: In o mal Socialising These a e a majo eason why s uden s pa ake
in CWP. One s uden explici ly no ed “some bee in he a e noon” as an expec a ion,
and socialising wi h o he s was expec ed by s uden s be o e he week: “A holiday :)”.
Mos s uden s also el social e en s and in e ac ions we e posi i e, wi h ew
s uden s complaining abou hei equency. F om an o ganise 's pe spec i e, we
ound social e en s o be mo e popula a he beginning o he week han a he end,
as s uden s a e mo e s essed o inish hei epo s/p esen a ions hen.
Ca ego y 3: O ganisa ional Ma e s Fo he yea s in Voe en, s uden s ou inely
complained abou he ood and accommoda ion quali y. This was one eason o
swi ch o a di e en you h hos el e en ually, s a ing in 2024. S uden s also
complained abou insu icien in e ne access. Since 2022, we p eemp i ely b ing
USB s o age de ices, e he ne cables, backup lap ops, ha d copies o all code, da a
and so wa e equi ed, and i necessa y ou own ou e (s) and swi ches. Some
s uden s el ha challenges and ma e ials on he challenges should be made
a ailable ea lie , i.e., a ew weeks ins ead o days be o e he CWP. In in e nal
deba es amongs he o ganize s, his issue was aised se e al imes. I was no
changed based on he assump ion ha s uden s o en do no do p epa a o y wo k o
do no do i p ope ly. Fo example, Felde & B en (2024) poin ou ha p e-class
assignmen s a e only e ec i e, in ha s uden s ac ually do hem and lea n
some hing om i , i s uden s a e p o ided wi h quali y, isual con en , no jus
eading exe cises. Doing so would pu signi ican addi ional ime bu dens on he
case o ganise s, as well as he s uden s, which we y o a oid. In he wo-week
CWP, s uden s o e whelmingly c i icised wo weeks as oo long, while s ill a guing
ha an “ex a day o wo would gi e oppo uni ies o conside sepa a e op ions o
e ine he main app oach u he ”. Fu he mo e, du ing he week-long in pe son
CWPs, s uden s expe ienced s ess mos ly as a challenge o be o e come: “mo e
s ess han expec ed, bu i eels like ha was pa o he expe ience”. In compa ison,
o he wo-week emo e CWP, s uden s indica ed ha his is “ oo long and
exhaus ing”. We conclude ha one week is an app op ia e du a ion.
Ca ego y 4: Commen s on Indi idual Cases S uden s app o e o he eal-wo ld
ele ance o hei cases. Howe e , one insigh om he analysis is ha he le el o
sca olding in CWP some imes a ies, and ha s uden s' expec a ions may be
misaligned i ha happens. Conside hose wo s a emen s: “The p ojec was no
ma u e enough and we had o o mula e i ou sel es. I would ha e been be e i he
asks we e clea e and al eady es ablished.” and “The opic was okay, he execu ion
was no so much. I was mo e like we we e gi en a p oblem and he solu ion and
we e expec ed o do only he implemen a ion and debugging.” The i s quo e
indica es a misunde s anding o he easons o why he challenge s eps we e no
p e-de ined, as he openness o he challenge is a key pa o CBL, allowing s uden s
o gain agency o e hei own lea ning p ocess (Johnson e al., 2009; Gallaghe &
Sa age, 2020; Doulouge i, 2024). Indeed, he in e nal ad iso guidelines explici ly
s a e “Impo an : Please do no s uc u e he lea ning and wo king p og ess o you
g oup in ad ance. You p oblem should allow he s uden s o come up wi h hei own
ideas and models.” The second quo e indica es ha his ecommenda ion was no
ollowed o he espec i e g oup. Hence, we plan o explici ly include he openness
o a p oblem as an i em in he ini ial p esen a ions, and p o ide some inpu on CBL
and he easons o doing so o s uden s a he beginning o he week. This aligns
wi h p e ious esea ch ha indica es ha openness and ill-de ined na u e o
challenges may c ea e unce ain y and some imes esis ance in s uden s
(Doulouge i, 2024). This also links o Ca ego y 5, as i unde sco es he need o CBL
aining o ad iso s, which has been ad oca ed o in esea ch (Doulouge i, 2024).
Ca ego y 5: Supe ision Many commen s p aised ad iso s, some s uden s would
ha e liked mo e help om ad iso s and o he s no e ha “ou come depends hea ily
on g oup / p oblem / supe iso ”. While i is possible o emo ely ad ise s uden s,
wi hou being a he CWP loca ion in pe son, especially o he i s and second day,
we ound s uden s ha did no ha e an ad iso in place o eel less con iden and o
s uggle mo e o unde s and p oblems ha a e ou side hei p e ious ields o
expe ise. This is suppo ed by ample e idence ha suppo ing s uden s in hei
g oup c ea ion p ocess is a c ucial success ac o o CBL (Doulouge i, 2024). An
impo an issue ha links o he nex ca ego y was close in e ac ion wi h he
ad iso s: “Be o e, I was a aid o going beyond my com o zone. And wo king
oge he wi h p o esso s always el in imida ing o me. Bu a e his e en I eel
mo e con iden abou wo king on new opics and wo king oge he wi h p o esso s.
While I s ill p e e o s ay in my lane and ocus on he opics ha I am good a in he
u u e, I am less anxious abou ackling new p oblems.” S uden s also epo ed (and
he o ganise s emembe ) using he CWP o pe sonal academic ca ee ad ice, as
esea che s om di e en ca ee pa hs a e p esen and can be in e ac ed wi h in an
in o mal se ing.
Ca ego y 5: Pe sonal de elopmen S uden s' na a i es cen e ed a ound being
challenged and o e coming hose challenges. This includes dealing wi h s ess, o
engaging wi h a hi he o unknown challenge: “A i s we we e all los on how o
app oach sol ing he p ojec . A he end e e ybody pa icipa ed as hey could.” O as
one s uden pu i : “Th oughou he wo k we did, e e y hing seemed di icul . Bu as
we kep wo king on hem and pu ing hem in o p esen a ions, hey became simple o
g asp.” This unde lines he inhe en po en ial o CBL o os e sel -e icacy (Michel &
Fö s e , 2025). S uden s especially poin o his ega ding esea ch ha a e he
week “[...] ac ually seems doable - su e, we only go a small look a i , bu hings
always seem sca y om he dis ance“. Simila ly, he open p oblem na u e is seen as
an oppo uni y. To quo e ano he s uden : “i was e en be e han expec ed. I could
s ee he p ojec in he di ec ion I wan ed.” O en, s uden s also ac i ely e lec on
hei ole as lea ne s du ing CWP. To quo e one commen : “I hink his is as much o
an oppo uni y o new expe iences and pe sonal de elopmen as o academic
achie emen .” In some cases, ha leads o hem e lec ing on hei s udies and hei
oles, as well: “I lea ned a lo and i li ed me ou o a slump ( ha I was expe iencing,
as a no mal enginee ing s uden would). You eedback du ing he week and on he
epo was uly aluable, i made me hink mo e deeply abou he opic.” Tha
speci ic quo e is om a s uden who also sen a ollow-up email o one o he
o ganise s. Fo he , he cou se ea i med he desi e o s udy enginee ing, which had
been on he decline a e a yea o heo y hea y lec u es and a e age g ades.
No ably, o CAMMP os e ing exci emen o STEM subjec s is pa o he p ojec 's
co e philosophy
3
. Conside ing he high d opou a es in STEM subjec s (Gao e al.,
2024), we conside his a signi ican bene i . Se e al s uden s epo ed o e coming
s ess and issues wi h ime managemen : “i 's amazing wha you can achie e in one
nigh ”, which also links o he nex ca ego y.
3
CAMMP websi e: h ps://www.cammp.online/english/85.php , las access: 2025-03-24
Ca ego y 6: P io and de eloped skills Which skills s uden s ha e, did no ha e
and lea ned was equen ly discussed. In 2021-2024, he e we e e y ew e e ences
o echnical skills, such as using Py hon o he echnical wo kings o uel cells.
Ins ead, s uden s pu a s ong emphasis on he de elopmen o p o essional skills.
O en, his is linked o pe sonal de elopmen , as s uden s o he i s ime iden i y
skill gaps hey ha e, especially ega ding p o essional communica ion:
“Communica ion is ha d - I am no used o wo king in a eam o ha ex en and
no iced ha o en I s uggled o mula ing ideas and some imes we could ha e sa ed
a lo o ime by communica ing be e .”. Gene ally, hey epo a posi i e
de elopmen o e he cou se, e.g. ha hey go “mo e g oup wo k expe ience han
[expe ience on] he ac ual opic, and I lea ned a lo om he opic.” In 2020, s uden s
epo ed mo e issues wi h echnical skills. We belie e his o be due o lack o in-
pe son access o ad iso s and eam ma es. This poin s o an ad an age o he
na ow in e disciplina i y o CWP. Due o sha ing knowledge pa adigms (Kolmos e
al., 2024), s uden s can e ec i ely collabo a e and make use o pee lea ning in in-
pe son en i onmen s. All s uden s a e expec ed o know how o code be o e he
cou se. Howe e , we ound ha while s uden s end o know how o code o
hemsel es, hey end o ha e li le o no expe ise in collabo a i e so wa e
de elopmen . Thus, s uden s lea n, e.g., ha “bes p ac ices o code a e he e o a
eason”. Bo h o ganise s i idly emembe mul iple s uden s and s uden g oups
wo ying whe he hey would ge a ma hema ics majo in hei eam, o ea o
ha ing insu icien ma hema ical dep h o add ess a p oblem. Howe e , he e is no a
single s a emen abou lack o ma hema ical skills in any o he eedback su eys.
This likely is due o he ac ha s uden s end o o e es ima e he ma hema ical
skills equi ed o e ec i ely wo k on hei p oblems, especially compa ed o
p o essional skills. A he same ime, he ma hema ics majo s eel ha “i can be a bi
us a ing, since o he g oup membe s a e al eady amilia wi h he concep s being
used and you' e no , which esul s in ime issues.”. As a esul , we a e se ing up a
small eaching uni on good collabo a ion p ac ices o he i s day o CWP.
4 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
In summa y, he CWP uses challenge-based lea ning o success ully os e bo h
s uden s' mo i a ion o hei s udies and hei p o essional skills. Fo s uden s,
in e disciplina y collabo a ion cons i u es a aluable lea ning oppo uni y. We saw
ha suppo ing s uden s du ing ha p ocess is c i ical o i s success. Tha includes
gene al inpu on echnical (good coding p ac ices) and p o essional skills
( eamwo k). When gi en wo weeks ins ead o one o comple e hei challenges,
s uden s ended up being mo e s essed and less happy, while s ill asking o mo e
ime. This indica es ha a single week is enough and ha he eal challenge lies in
lea ning ime managemen . We ound ha cou se e alua ions should include i ems
on s uden s’ pe cep ion o hei ole as s uden s, as pa o he g oup and o he ole
o ad iso s, as we ound hose o be impo an o s uden s, howe e , he da a we
had did allow us o del e deepe in o hose issues. Wha we did ind is ha ad iso s
no only play a echnical ole, bu also con ibu e o eam dynamics and ca ee
ad ice. Finally, on a cu iculum le el, domain p ojec s such as CAMMP need o be
ollowed by cou ses whe e s uden s can expe ience in e disciplina i y in a b oade
sense.
