P ac ice Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Sie a And és, M., & Sachde a, R. (2025). Hex-a-Thon: A
Collabo a i e and C ea i e Lea ning Expe ience o In e disciplina y S uden s
Th ough Hands-On Inno a ion. 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.17631598.
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.
HEX-A-THON: A COLLABORATIVE AND CREATIVE LEARNING
EXPERIENCE FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDENTS THROUGH
HANDS-ON INNOVATION
M. S. And ésa,
1
, R. Sachde aa
a Esade Business School, Spain
Con e ence Key A eas Enginee ing skills, p o essional skills, and ans e sal skills
and Dialogue be ween enginee ing and socie y – e ec s on educa ion
Keywo ds: Expe ien ial lea ning, in e disciplina y collabo a ion, challenge-based
lea ning, hands-on lea ning, apid p o o yping
ABSTRACT
The Hex-a-Thon is an inno a i e educa ional exe cise designed o os e
in e disciplina y collabo a ion and hands-on echnical skills h ough a high-p essu e,
eal-wo ld-inspi ed en i onmen . I was conduc ed a IdeaSqua e, CERN as pa o
Fusion Poin cou ses a pa ne ship be ween Esade Business School, Ins i u o
Eu opeo du Design and Poly echnical Uni e si y o Ca alonia. The Hex-a-Thon
challenges s uden s om di e se backg ounds (business, design and enginee ing) o
build unc ional apid p o o ypes o pa icle de ec o using senso s and di e en
componen s. By le e aging expe ien ial lea ning and design hinking p inciples, he
exe cise enhances p oblem-sol ing abili ies and echnical luency while cul i a ing
esilience and adap abili y.
This p ac ice pape p esen s he ou comes o h ee i e a ions o he Hex-a-Thon,
conduc ed in Ap il, May, and Sep embe 2024, wi h a o al o 111 s uden s om
a ious challenge-based inno a ion p og ams. Using quali a i e me hods, including
pa icipan obse a ion, deb ie ing sessions, and eedback o ms, we analysed
s uden s’ expe iences, skill de elopmen , and collabo a i e dynamics. The indings
demons a e ha he Hex-a-Thon e ec i ely enhances echnical con idence,
eamwo k, and inno a ion, while also exposing s uden s o he eali ies o wo king
unde p essu e and na iga ing ailu e.
The Hex-a-Thon model has p o en o be a eplicable and adap able o ma o
enginee ing educa ion, o e ing insigh s in o how hands-on inno a ion can be
in eg a ed in o cu icula o b idge he gap be ween academic lea ning and
p o essional p ac ice. This pape discusses he pedagogical implica ions and
po en ial o u u e adap a ions, including inco po a ing sus ainabili y and e hical
conside a ions o u he enhance i s ele ance.
1
Co esponding Au ho
M. S. And és
[email p o ec ed]
1 INTRODUCTION
The Hex-a-Thon is a hands-on, in e disciplina y lea ning expe ience ha add esses
he need o collabo a i e, inno a ion-d i en app oaches in enginee ing educa ion.
Unlike adi ional, siloed models (Feng e al., 2023), i imme ses s uden s in a high-
p essu e, eal-wo ld-inspi ed en i onmen whe e echnical challenges mee c ea i e
p oblem-sol ing. Roo ed in expe ien ial lea ning (Kolb, 1984) and he Schola ship o
Teaching and Lea ning (SoTL) amewo k (Po e & Kus a, 2011), he Hex-a-Thon
os e s bo h echnical expe ise and essen ial so skills h ough ac i e engagemen
and e lec ion.
De eloped wi hin Fusion Poin ’s Challenge-Based Inno a ion cou ses (2014–2025),
he exe cise is a collabo a i e ini ia i e in ol ing Esade Business School, IED, and
UPC, in pa ne ship wi h IdeaSqua e a CERN and Aal o Uni e si y (Hassi e al.,
2016; Cha osky e al., 2018; Papageo giou e al., 2021; Sie a & Di S asi, 2024). I
b ings oge he business, design, and enginee ing s uden s o ackle complex
challenges h ough eamwo k, p o o yping, and i e a ion.
S uden s apply knowledge in coding, senso in eg a ion, and sys em design while
de eloping esilience, adap abili y, and communica ion skills. Exposu e o
en i onmen s like CERN and Aal o’s Design Fac o y ein o ces he connec ion
be ween academic lea ning and p o essional p ac ice, pushing s uden s beyond
disciplina y bounda ies and in o spaces o inno a ion, inqui y, and collabo a ion.
2 CONTEXT AND PRACTICAL WORK
2.1 The Hex-a-Thon Concep
Hands-on inno a ion me hods in enginee ing educa ion ha e gained signi ican
ac ion in ecen yea s, emphasizing expe ien ial lea ning and in e disciplina y
collabo a ion (Killen, 2014; Hu s e al., 2016; Gadola & Chindamo, 2017; Seidel,
Ma ion & Fixson, 2020; Tang, Vezzani & E iksson, 2020; Sie a & Di S assi, 2024). This
app oach emphasizes lea ning h ough di ec expe ience and e lec ion, aligning wi h
he hands-on na u e o enginee ing p ac ice (Kolb, 1984).
Expe ien ial lea ning me hods signi ican ly enhance s uden s' p oblem-sol ing skills
o ackle complex, open-ended enginee ing challenges and echnical compe encies
(ha d skills) (Palme & Hall, 2011; Cha an, 2011; Li, Öchsne & Hall, 2017). The
Hex-a-Thon model, desc ibed below, exempli ies his by engaging s uden s in
building hexagon-shaped pa icle de ec o owe s. This p ojec -based lea ning
expe ience allows s uden s o apply heo e ical knowledge p ac ically, os e ing
deepe unde s anding and skill de elopmen . S uden s mo e h ough he ELT cycle
as hey expe imen wi h componen s, build he de ec o owe , e lec on challenges,
and e ine hei app oach.
In e disciplina y collabo a ion is essen ial in mode n enginee ing educa ion, as i
equips s uden s o ackle complex eal-wo ld p oblems (Cos a e al., 2018; Van den
Beem e al., 2020; Tang, Vezzani & E iksson, 2020; Figuei edo e al., 2022). The
Hex-a-Thon os e s his by b inging oge he s uden s om di e se backg ounds,
enhancing communica ion, adap abili y, and inno a i e hinking (Rich e & Pa e i,
2009; Bjö klund, e al., 2019), while building eamwo k and echnical skills.
Hands-on inno a ion in enginee ing educa ion o en in ol es design hinking and
apid p o o yping, encou aging quick i e a ion, lea ning om ailu e, and c ea i e
p oblem-sol ing (Sheka , 2013; Kojmane & Abou ajeddine, 2016). The Hex-a-Thon’s
use o senso s and ools exempli ies his app oach, p o iding p ac ical expe ience
wi h cu ing-edge echnologies while applying design hinking p inciples o enhance
usabili y. These me hods boos s uden engagemen and b idge he gap be ween
heo y and p ac ice, be e p epa ing s uden s o u u e ca ee s (Bo e al., 2005; Li,
Öchsne & Hall, 2017).
Despi e hei bene i s, expe ien ial lea ning me hods in enginee ing ace challenges,
including high esou ce demands and he need o specialized acul y skills (Gadola
& Chindamo, 2017; Chen, Kolmos & Du, 2020). These app oaches ypically equi e
2-3 imes mo e acul y ime and esou ces han adi ional me hods (Cha an, 2011),
and assessing ou comes is complex, o en needing mul i-dimensional e alua ion
ools (Clemen s & Co d, 2011; Hein ich & G een, 2020).
The Hex-a-Thon builds on expe ien ial lea ning and design hinking p inciples o
enhance s uden s' abili ies in eamwo k, communica ion, and echnical in eg a ion.
Pa icipan s collabo a e in mul idisciplina y eams o cons uc hexagonal owe s
using lase -cu componen s, senso s, and coding pla o ms. The p ojec combines
echnical challenges wi h c ea i e p oblem-sol ing, p epa ing s uden s o eal-wo ld
enginee ing and inno a ion en i onmen s.
2.2 Me hodology
The Hex-a-Thon is a hands-on, collabo a i e lea ning exe cise designed o os e
in e disciplina y eamwo k and echnical inno a ion wi hin Fusion Poin ’s Challenge-
Based Inno a ion Cou ses. I p epa es s uden eams o ackle complex challenges
(based on he SDG’s) using cu ing-edge echnologies om op Eu opean esea ch
cen e s.
Inspi ed by he scien i ic collabo a ion equi ed o build and un CERN’s La ge
Had on Collide (LHC) Robinson, 2020) whe e ad anced senso s and da a
p ocessing a e used o examine pa icle collisions, he Hex-a-Thon challenges
s uden s o design and build pa icle de ec o owe s capable o so ing pa icles
( ep esen ed by ma bles) by mass and colo . S uden s wo k in in e disciplina y
eams, applying skills om enginee ing, business, and design o c ea e unc ional
p o o ypes.
The expe ience is amed as a compe i i e collabo a ion, wi h eams di ided in o wo
expe imen al g oups ep esen ing CMS and ATLAS, os e ing a spi i o eamwo k
and communica ion. Th ough his hands-on, eal-wo ld simula ion, s uden s de elop
p oblem-sol ing abili ies, echnical skills, and esilience unde p essu e, b idging
heo e ical knowledge wi h p ac ical applica ion.
2.3 Implemen a ion and i e a ions
The Hex-a- hon exe cise is di ided in o he ollowing s ages:
• In oduc ion and Con ex : S uden s a e in oduced o he LHC and pa icle
de ec ion, lea ning how la ge collabo a ions like CERN wo k. They ecei e
ins uc ions and ma e ials, including lase -cu componen s, senso s
(A duino/Raspbe y Pi), a load-cell, a came a expansion HAT, a se o,
ma bles and apid-p o o yping ma e ials.
• Think and S a egize: A e he in oduc ion, eams a e encou aged o
discuss and plan hei s a egy conside ing echnical and collabo a i e
aspec s, wi h coaches p o iding eedback.
• Building and P o o yping: Teams assemble pa icle de ec o owe s using
lase -cu ames, senso s, and mic ocon olle s, in eg a ing da a om senso s
and ac ua o s.
• Tes ing and I e a ion: P o o ypes a e es ed wi h a pa icle eede o analyze
so ing accu acy, ollowed by i e a i e imp o emen s.
• Final Run and P esen a ion: Teams conduc a s able beam es , p esen
esul s, and e lec on ou comes, wi h e alua ions based on so ing accu acy
and design e iciency.
Be o e he e en , s uden s a end a se ies o
wo kshops ocused on he necessa y echnical
skills, including A duino p og amming,
Raspbe y Pi in eg a ion, 3D modeling, and
lase cu ing. These wo kshops ensu e ha all
pa icipan s a e amilia wi h he essen ial ools
and echnologies and can le e age hei
p e ious knowledge.
S uden s a e di ided in o in e disciplina y
eams, combining enginee ing, design, and
business. They ecei e a challenge b ie ha
ou lines he ask o building a owe capable o
so ing pa icles based on speci ic a ibu es,
such as colou o mass (impac ).
A e assembly, he owe s a e es ed using a
pa icle eede , which d ops balls in o he
s uc u e a di e en angles and speeds.
Teams obse e and e ine hei p o o ypes o
imp o e so ing accu acy and e iciency.
Fig. 1. Hex-a-Thon exe cise in og aphic summa y
Coaches p o ide con inuous eedback h oughou he es ing phase, guiding
s uden s o i e a e and enhance hei designs. Each eam p esen s hei inal
p o o ype, explaining he design choices, echnological in eg a ion, and p oblem-
sol ing s a egies. E alua ions ocus on c ea i i y, unc ionali y, and eamwo k.
a ‘ es beam’
is hen
launched om he
‘pa icle eede ’ and
d opped inside he owe s
The Hex-a-Thon exe cise was implemen ed on h ee sepa a e occasions a
IdeaSqua e, du ing s uden s isi s o a ious challenge-based and inno a ion
p og ams. Each i e a ion in ol ed s uden s om di e en cou ses and con ex s,
allowing o a comp ehensi e e alua ion o he exe cise’s impac .
• Fi s I e a ion (Ap il 2024 - TeSi P og am): 31 s uden s om he Technology
o Social Inno a ion (TeSi) P og am pa icipa ed, using A duino sys ems o
build pa icle de ec o s. Conduc ed mid-p og am o ein o ce echnical skills
and in e disciplina y collabo a ion, and boos con idence and en husiasm,
• Second I e a ion (May 2024 - CBI4AI P og am): 35 s uden s om he
Challenge-Based Inno a ion o A i icial In elligence (CBI4AI) cou se.
Conduc ed in he hi d week, a Raspbe y Pi and a came a expansion HAT.
The exe cise signi ican ly imp o ed apid p o o yping skills and
in e disciplina y eamwo k.
• Thi d I e a ion (Sep embe 2024 - CBI P og am): 45 s uden s om he
Challenge-Based Inno a ion (CBI) cou se pa icipa ed a he p og am's s a ,
se ing as an ice-b eaking and eam-building ac i i y. Collabo a i e
p o o yping es ablished mu ual us and in e disciplina y collabo a ion.
Fig. 2. Hex-a-Thon exe cise Beam Tes 1 Fig. 3. Hex-a-Thon exe cise Final Exhibi ion
The Hex-a-Thon is a echnical challenge and a pla o m o s uden s o expe ience
he p essu es and demands o eal-wo ld enginee ing p ojec s. Fos e ing a play ul
ye igo ous app oach o p oblem-sol ing helps s uden s de elop essen ial skills
such as c i ical hinking, collabo a ion, and inno a ion. The exe cise combines
echnical challenges wi h c ea i e p oblem-sol ing, p epa ing s uden s o eal-wo ld
enginee ing and inno a ion en i onmen s.
3 RESULTS AND INSIGHTS
3.1 Da a collec ion
The da a collec ion p ocess o e alua e he impac and e ec i eness o he Hex-a-
Thon in ol ed mul iple quali a i e me hods. The ollowing able summa izes each
da a collec ion me hod, i s p ima y goals, and he key esul s ob ained.
Table 1. Da a collec ion me hods and indings summa y
Da a Collec ion
Goals
Ou pu ype
Key esul s
Obse a ion
(Du ing Exe cise)
Moni o eamwo k dynamics,
collabo a ion, and p oblem-
sol ing skills de elopmen
E hnog aphic obse a ion
no es, p ocessed and
coded
Iden i ied key challenges in
collabo a ion, enhanced echnical
engagemen , and adap i e p oblem-
sol ing s a egies.
Deb ie Session
discussion (Pos -
Exe cise)
Facili a e e lec ion and ga he .
in-dep h insigh s and quali a i e
e lec ions
3 eco ded sessions,
ansc ibed and coded
S uden s exp essed posi i e
expe iences wi h in e disciplina y
eamwo k hands-on lea ning and
pe cep ions o echnical challenges,
highligh ing skill imp o emen s.
Immedia e Feedback
Fo m
Collec s uc u ed eedback on
exe cise e ec i eness
111 su ey answe s abou
wha hey liked, wish, and
lea ned om he exe cise
High sa is ac ion wi h he lea ning
o ma , wi h speci ic men ions o
inc eased echnical con idence and
eamwo k.
Final Cou se
Feedback Fo m
E alua e long- e m impac and
in eg a ion in o cou se
expe ience
111 su ey answe s
Sus ained imp o emen in eamwo k,
in e disciplina y skills, and con idence
in echnical inno a ion.
3.1 Resul s
The quali a i e da a analysis on he Hex-a- hon p ocess and eedback esul s in o
he ollowing hemes:
Expe ien ial and Passion-Based Lea ning:
The Hex-a-Thon os e ed a dynamic en i onmen whe e s uden s c ea i ely applied
echnical knowledge, emb acing ailu e as an in eg al pa o he lea ning p ocess.
The exe cise in ol ed i e a i e de elopmen and low o medium- ideli y p o o yping,
encou aging s uden s o expe imen wi h new ideas and solu ions, om using lego
pieces on op o he se o o enla ge he a ows and making easie o so o use
ca on pape o c ea e lanes o he ma bles.
Th oughou he exe cise, s uden s demons a ed he abili y o lea n by applying
concep s om p e ious wo kshops and echnical sessions as much as hey ha e
ne e been ained o . S uden s de eloped p ac ical skills in coding, senso
in eg a ion, and mechanical assembly. This p ocess cul i a ed a passion o
echnical explo a ion, and s uden s epo ed inc eased con idence in hei p oblem-
sol ing abili ies.
As one o he s uden s no ed: "This p ojec was challenging o me because i had no
ela ion o my a ea o g adua ion, a chi ec u e, and also didn’ ha e much connec ion
wi h he mas e 's deg ee in i ual eali y." (TeSI design s uden ). Despi e his, he
hands-on app oach os e ed engagemen and skill de elopmen ou side hei p ima y
ield.
In e disciplina y Collabo a ion and Pee Lea ning
The make-a- hon o ma encou aged bo h independen and collabo a i e wo k,
equi ing ca e ul planning, communica ion, and coo dina ion among eam membe s.
The in e disciplina y s uden s me ged hei expe ise, allowing o mu ual lea ning
and pee suppo : “I I would do he exe cise again I would s a building much
ea lie , we had a e y long discussion planning he code and he s uc u e, bu once
building we ealize i didn’ wo k, you need ime o y, es and e- hink” (CBI4AI
business s uden )
The in e disciplina y app oach enabled pa icipan s o app oach challenges om
mul iple pe spec i es, p omo ing c ea i i y and os e ing a sense o collec i e
owne ship o e he p ojec ou comes. A design s uden om he CBI4AI p og am
e lec ed: "And he in e sec ion be ween design and Science" Ano he business
s uden emphasized how mul idisciplina y eamwo k in luenced hei pe spec i e:
"Wo king wi h a mul idisciplina y eam allowed me o eally open mysel o di e en
app oaches o a p oblem and di e si y in how we aim o esol e hem. I am su e I
will ha e his in conside a ion while app oaching and sol ing p oblems in he u u e”.
Lea ning Th ough Play and Technology In eg a ion
The Hex-a-Thon emb aced lea ning h ough play (Tang, Vezzani & E iksson, 2020) by
inco po a ing coding, p og amming, and echnology in eg a ion in a c ea i e and
imagina i e se ing. Pa icipan s we e encou aged o expe imen wi hou ea o
ailu e, wi h con inuous eedback om coaches guiding imp o emen s and i e a ion.
An enginee ing s uden om CBI4AI highligh ed he impac o he expe ience:
"Visi ing CERN and all he ac i i ies we did he e was uly an eye-opening
expe ience, p o iding p o ound insigh s in o physics, websi e c ea ion, and cu ing-
edge esea ch on he uni e se." Simila ly, ano he enginee ing s uden om CBI
e lec ed: "Going o CERN and he ac i i ies done he e we e eally cool. I allowed
us o wo k in a e y di e en way (which is no he one we a e used o in uni e si y),
and I was imp essed abou he eedom we had o sol e he p oblem."
Using bo h A duino and Raspbe y Pi pla o ms exposed s uden s o di e en
echnological app oaches, enhancing hei adap abili y and echnical luency. The
play ul, high-p essu e en i onmen simula ed eal-wo ld inno a ion con ex s,
os e ing bo h esilience and a mindse o ien ed owa d apid p o o yping inno a ion.
Wo king Unde P essu e and Unde s anding Failu e
One o he p ima y goals o he Hex-a-Thon was o build s uden s’ capaci y o wo k
unde p essu e while na iga ing ailu e and unexpec ed challenges. Mos eams did
no ully comple e he ask wi hin he gi en ime, which was an in en ional aspec o
he exe cise o emphasize esilience and adap i e hinking.
“I was eally s ess ul and ha d, I wasn’ unde s anding wha I was doing I don’
know any hing abou pa icle physics, and I was seeing we couldn’ make i … bu a
he end i didn’ ma e i we ailed, we had a lo o un and I lea ned a lo wi h my
eamma es, and we almos managed o inish” (TeSI business s uden s)
S uden s epo ed ha he expe ience augh hem o balance idea ion wi h p ac ical
implemen a ion, manage ime e ec i ely, and emain adap able when p o o ypes did
no unc ion as expec ed.
The exe cise also unde sco ed he impo ance o being willing o abandon ini ial
ideas (“kill you da lings”) in a ou o mo e easible solu ions: “I emembe we had a
big discussion, he o he enginee in my eam wan ed o do a e y di e en app oach
o coding and s uc u e design, and we wais ed e y aluable ime a guing, and a
he end he was igh ” (TeSI enginee ing s uden )
The CERN ac o
Mo eo e , hos ing he make-a- hon a IdeaSqua e (CERN) p o ided access o
expe s and esou ces, simula ing p o essional enginee ing en i onmen s, and i s
always one o he mos highligh ed elemen s o he lea ning expe ience: “going o
CERN is a e y unique and p i ileged hing ha no e e yone can expe ience, as a
business s uden I ne e imagined o ha e he oppo uni y o isi a place so ele an
in o he science ield and alk wi h impo an people such as he www co-in en o
while ha ing a co ee” (CBI business s uden ). This exposu e o eal-wo ld p oblem-
sol ing en iched he lea ning expe ience, p epa ing s uden s o ace he complexi ies
o in e disciplina y p ojec s.
4 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
The Hex-a-Thon o e s a compelling model o expe ien ial and in e disciplina y
educa ion, blending hands-on echnical inno a ion wi h collabo a i e p oblem-
sol ing. Designed as a high-p essu e, eal-wo ld-inspi ed exe cise, i equips s uden s
wi h bo h echnical and so skills needed o add ess complex enginee ing
challenges wi h c ea i i y and esilience. Implemen ed ac oss h ee cou se i e a ions,
s uden s consis en ly epo ed inc eased con idence, imp o ed p oblem-sol ing
abili ies, and s onge in e disciplina y collabo a ion. I s lexibili y ac oss lea ning
con ex s demons a es i s po en ial o b oade adop ion in enginee ing educa ion.
To inc ease i s long- e m impac , u u e implemen a ions should explo e scalabili y,
sus ainabili y, and he in eg a ion o e hical conside a ions. Con inuous assessmen
and sel -e icacy measu emen could o e deepe insigh in o skill e en ion and
pe sonal de elopmen . F aming he Hex-a-Thon as a o ma i e a he han
summa i e lea ning expe ience encou ages isk- aking and e lec i e lea ning.
Mo eo e , mo e explo a ion is needed o ensu e a longe - ime impac and how o
in eg a e i in he cu icula ough he de elopmen o a oolki , o ins ance.
Roo ed in he p inciples o SoTL and expe ien ial lea ning, he Hex-a-Thon b eaks
down disciplina y silos by uni ing enginee ing, design, and business s uden s in
meaning ul collabo a ion. As he model con inues o e ol e, expanding i s each o
di e se academic and cul u al con ex s can u he enhance i s ele ance.
While i s bene i s a e clea , he model’s success depends on su icien esou ces
and e ec i e acili a ion. Ongoing e alua ion is key o unde s anding i s long- e m
educa ional alue. In sum, he Hex-a-Thon is a scalable, high-impac app oach o
ad ancing 21s -cen u y enginee ing educa ion.
