Bringing social challenges to the classroom: connecting students with local agents. (17th February 2022) - Jordán-Fisas, Alicia
The aim of this research is to go beyond the traditional university-industry collaborations and explore how students and local agents can benefit when collaborating in projects with a marked social character. The analysis took place through the experience of an innovation project in which students had to solve a challenge proposed by a local agent (SaóPrat). Specifically, this study pinpoints and describes the individual benefits obtainable by each of the parties involved in this collaboration: students, lecturers, and local agents. The challenge-based learning (CBL) methodology was used to systematise the activity. Herein, we report the results of the activity, paying special attention to the perceptions of students, professors, and local agents. Their opinions were collected through different means: surveys, focus groups, and interviews. All in all, this study fills the existing gap in research on how universities and businesses can collaborate for the benefit of the broader society.