Challenge-based innovation: a co-design challenge development proposal in an immersive context
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Complexity theory investigates complex systems made up of parts that mutually interact in a non-linear way, producing unpredictable results. Inspired by this theoretical approach, ECOLAH - Embracing a
Complexity-Orientated Learning Approach in Health is an Erasmus+ project (https://ecolah.eu/about/) whose mission is to develop a better understanding of how the complex societal challenge of building a
healthy society can be (better) influenced and co-directed by Higher Education. The ECOLAH project team considered a real-life ecosystem/community involved in complex issues as a starting point for learning. In order to promote a collective and collaborative learning process that takes into account all stakeholders. To this end, four courses were developed to enable students to navigate complexity in the context of complexity-orientated ecosystems in health: (1) Complex Adaptive Systems Applied to Health (CAS) which aims to sensitise students to the patterns of interaction between health actors and between them and the environment, promoting an integrated and systemic understanding; (2) Futures and epistemic literacy in Health (EFL) focuses on developing the capacity to anticipate, i.e.., that health students develop the ability to anticipate the future by preparing for ignorance; (3) Becoming in complexity (BIC) enables students to train critical thinking skills, encouraging self-evaluation and evaluation of the work of others, promoting an integrated understanding; (4) Offering Holding and facilitating environment (HFE) prepares students for a flow of relationships, boundary-crossing and ethics, as well as promoting (collective) sense-making, empathy and intuitive reasoning. These four integrated courses aim to provide training for higher education health students as a holistic learning journey based on a complexity-orientated learning approach. This study aims to evaluate the intentions of students’ teaching-learning practices after the intensive training of the ECOALH course. This is a qualitative study on the results of the five-day ECOALH intensive training held in April 2024, with a total of 46 students and 15 teachers from five European universities in four different countries: The Netherlands, Finland, Portugal and Romania. The training was designed as an experience of immersion in complexity through various workshops and activities organized around the four courses. On the last day of training, students were invited to reflect and write about their intentions anonymously in the learning process, on post-its, in 6 dimensions: doing/thinking/care - more/less. A content analysis of the post-its was carried out to build word clouds using the wordclouds software. As the main results, the students mentioned stress, procrastination, excessive use of technology and unhealthy habits as aspects to do/think/care less about.
They also mentioned wanting to reduce negative thoughts, focus on their own goals, control anxiety and emphasize emphaty problem-solving. Aspects to do less of are continuous learning, prioritizing health, getting out of their comfort zone, improving professionally and maintaining a balance between personal and professional life and being informed about global issues. They also value a balanced lifestyle, relevant education, health prevention and making a positive impact through empathy and collaboration. In this sense, students seek a balance between the demands of modern life and their own well-being, while aiming for meaningful personal growth and positive contributions to society.
In a context where social, environmental and economic challenges require innovative and collaborative responses, Challenge-Based Innovation emerges as an approach that promotes the development of concrete solutions through co-creation processes between multiple local and institutional agents. Within this framework, the Working Envisioning (WE) project fostered the implementation of challenge-based innovation practices in the territory of Miranda do Douro, a region in the northeast of Portugal characterised by
low population density, strong preservation of rural practices, rich natural heritage, and the maintenance of the Mirandesa language, the second official language of the country. Miranda do Douro currently faces challenges related to depopulation, the valorisation of local resources, and the preservation of its cultural identity, becoming a suitable setting for the application of collaborative and innovative methodologies. The aim of this study is to describe the process of developing strategic challenges through the co-design methodology, highlighting the dynamics of identification, formulation and validation. The adopted methodology was based on a structured cycle of internal and external processes. In the initial internal process, facilitators proceeded with the mapping and identification of key stakeholders in the territory, encompassing cultural, agricultural, social and environmental associations, as well as academic institutions and local economic agents. This was followed by the external process, in which focus groups were carried out with representatives of these stakeholders, with the aim of gathering perceptions, needs and concrete challenges faced by the community. This stage enabled the direct capture of emerging concerns and perceived development opportunities in the field. Returning to the internal process, the technical team drafted the challenges, seeking a formulation that was simultaneously open, inspiring and aligned with local realities, in order to foster creative and multidisciplinary solutions. Subsequently, the drafted challenges were submitted to a new phase of external validation with the stakeholders, ensuring they effectively responded to the community’s felt needs and aspirations. As a result of this co-design process, five priority challenges were identified: attracting new breeders to the Mirandesa cattle sector, promoting the continuity of certified local meat production; projecting traditional Mirandesa music as intangible cultural heritage of humanity, recognising its historical and cultural richness; developing new ways of valorising the residual wool from sheep in the Mirandês Plateau, promoting the circular economy; revitalising the Mirandesa language in a post-modern context through innovative strategies of promotion and teaching; and organising mediation activities with Mirandês donkeys, exploring their therapeutic and cultural benefits for the population. These challenges mirror the diversity and depth of local issues, covering economic, social, environmental and cultural dimensions. It is concluded that Challenge-Based Innovation, applied through the co-design methodology, proved effective in promoting active listening, integrating different visions, and building a participatory innovation agenda. This entire process culminated in the drafting of an Innovation Charter for Miranda do Douro, a strategic document that synthesises the main challenges, defines intervention priorities, and proposes pathways for promoting sustainable development and preserving the cultural and natural heritage of the territory. Thus, the experience reinforces the relevance of co-design as a tool for social and territorial innovation, enhancing local protagonism in the construction of solutions adapted to the real needs of communities.
The discussion on immersive learning environments requires an in-depth understanding of the concept and its implications for the educational process. Contemporary higher education faces the challenge of adopting methodologies that promote experiential learning. Challenge-Based Innovation (CBI) emerges as a student-centred approach, integrating interdisciplinary collaboration and immersion in real contexts. This study was carried out in Miranda do Douro, a region in the north-east of Portugal known for its traditional agricultural practices and the preservation of the Mirandesa language and music. The aim of this study was to understand, from a qualitative perspective, how students experienced immersive learning in a rural context and to identify the dynamics of co-creation, collaboration and the development of emerging competences. Nineteen students from different nationalities (Portugal, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Cape Verde and Nepal) and academic backgrounds (health, communication, tourism, education and engineering) took part. They were organised into five teams to respond to challenges related to the enhancement of cattle and sheep farming, the promotion of traditional language and music and the rediscovery of the Mirandês donkey as a cultural and educational asset. Over the course of an intensive week, the students took part in daily co-creation activities, followed by individual and peer reflective assessments each evening. The qualitative methodology combined content analysis, discourse analysis and thematic analysis, with cross-checking of the data applied at four points in the reflective evaluations: on the first day, words entered into a collective software generated a word cloud, highlighting key concepts; on the second day, the students selected symbolic images representing their team roles; on the third day, reflective videos documented the maturation of ideas and communication skills; and at the end of the week, intra- and inter-group evaluations completed the data set. The results showed that the students’ word choices and speeches demonstrated a progressive commitment to the territory, centred on concepts such as “culture”, “collaboration”, “learning”, “diversity” and “creativity”, and expressions such as “expanding these projects to reach the whole of Portugal”. The symbolic representation of the team’s roles revealed profiles of creativity, organisation, communication and technical support, with strong alignment between the students’ self-perceptions and peer evaluations. Analysing the videos indicated an affective appropriation of the projects and the evolution of the ideas, visible in expressions such as ‘we want people to use our idea in real life’, ‘our next step is to filter the feedback and improve our solution’ and ‘together we want to guarantee its preservation, this is our project’. However, there were also initial moments of hesitation, expressed by the students through statements such as ‘anticipating the preparation of the project’ and ‘at first, we found it difficult to organise the ideas’, suggesting the need for stronger methodological guidance at the beginning. The co-created solutions were considered by the students to be creative and feasible, with strong potential for application, including the project proposing the use of waste wool for acoustic and thermal insulation, Mirandês cattle management initiatives led by butchers, digital platforms to promote the Mirandesa language and immersive cultural events aimed at revitalising traditional music and rediscovering the role of the Mirandês donkey. In conclusion, CBI was recognised as a transformative educational experience, promoting the development of interpersonal skills, critical thinking and a sense of territorial belonging. These results were confirmed by the students’ speeches and the consistency of the data obtained from different sources. Despite the promising results, there was a need to reinforce initial support for project preparation in order to promote earlier maturation of ideas. Overall, CBI shows potential as an innovative educational strategy by combining co-creative, immersive, multidisciplinary and intercultural practices in authentic learning contexts.
