CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, AND PEDAGOGY article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Higher Education
This article is part of the Research TopicReimagining Higher Education: Responding Proactively to 21st Century Global ShiftsView all 29 articles
Challenge-based Education methodology within sustainable development environments: from Ocean i3 to EmPACT i3 experience
Provisionally accepted
Itziar Rekalde-Rodríguez*
Pilar Gil-Molina
ESTHER CRUZ IGLESIASOlatz Zinkunegi-Goitia
Aitor Mendia-Urrutia*- Universidad del Pais Vasco - Campus de Gipuzkoa, San Sebastián, Spain
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This paper discusses the application of Challenge-Based Education (CBE) in sustainability contexts, based on the Ocean i3 and EmPACT i3 projects. Within the framework of the SDGs, especially SDG 3, CBE is proposed as a way to develop transversal and sustainability skills. The study describes its implementation in open, multicultural, multilingual and cross-subject contexts, with the participation of regional agents. It highlights the creation of collaborative communities, redefining the role of the teacher as facilitator and the thoughtful use of log books. The experience shows how to structure active learning with local solutions, offering recommendations for universities seeking a transformational educational experience committed to sustainability.
Keywords: higher education, Challenge-based learning, Education for Sustainable Development, SDG 4, Environments for innovation
Received: 03 Sep 2025; Accepted: 07 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rekalde-Rodríguez, Gil-Molina, CRUZ IGLESIAS, Zinkunegi-Goitia and Mendia-Urrutia. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Itziar Rekalde-Rodríguez, itziar.rekalde@ehu.eus
Aitor Mendia-Urrutia, aitor.mendia@ehu.eus
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