Metadata
Title
Challenge-Based Learning
Category
general
UUID
187c73d9697044f3a09d32bd9749251e
Source URL
https://www.tue.nl/en/education/why-study-at-tue/challenge-based-learning
Parent URL
-
Crawl Time
2026-03-17T02:10:39+00:00
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Challenge-Based Learning

Source: https://www.tue.nl/en/education/why-study-at-tue/challenge-based-learning

challenging education

Challenge-Based Learning

Clean energy. Affordable housing. Healthy ageing. Big questions that need bold solutions.\ At TU/e, you don’t just study problems—you solve them.\ With our Challenge-Based Learning approach, you’ll work in international teams on real-world challenges from industry and society.

What is Challenge-Based Learning?

Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) means learning by doing. You work in teams on real challenges—like:

You’ll gain knowledge through lectures, but also by working with companies, researchers, and society. Real experts, real impact.\ This way, you connect technology to the world around you—and prepare for a future-focused career.

Tackle real challenges. Become a future-proof engineer.

With Challenge-Based Learning, you apply theory directly to real problems. You learn what knowledge to deepen and which experts to involve. Together with your team, you turn ideas into prototypes and find ways to share your solutions. Along the way, you develop key skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and communication—skills that prepare you for any career and show the impact of your engineering expertise. - [### How does Challenge-Based Learning work?

You start with a real societal challenge—one that doesn’t have a clear solution yet. Together with your team, you define your own research or design question. Step by step, you develop and test new ideas, build prototypes, and present your solution to real partners or clients. Along the way, you learn to look at problems from different perspectives and explain the value of your contribution. It’s a process that sharpens your skills and deepens your understanding. Check out what students are working on now:

Read more](https://educationguide.tue.nl/programs/innovation-space/?L=2) - [### Award-winning education with this educational approach

TU/e won the Dutch Higher Education Award for this innovative way of learning. In this way, students are intrinsically motivated and progress through steep learning curves.

Read more](https://www.tue.nl/en/news-and-events/news-overview/01-03-2021-tue-innovation-space-wins-the-netherlands-first-higher-education-award)

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I really enjoy studying Mechanical Engineering in the Netherlands, especially how our courses connect to real-world semiconductor applications—like the precision control in ASML machines.

Kartik Patel

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## innovation Space

TU/e innovation Space is the heart of Challenge-Based Learning on campus. It’s where students from different programs, student teams, start-ups, and researchers come together to co-create solutions for real-world challenges.

You’ll find expert coaches, cutting-edge facilities for prototyping and 3D printing, and spaces that support experimentation and innovation. Professors regularly give lectures, mini-seminars, and workshops—helping you build a strong theoretical foundation for your project.

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## Continue in a student team or start-up

Want to keep developing your idea after the project ends?\ You can. Join a student team or turn your concept into a start-up. TU/e innovation Space remains available—with access to tools, support, and facilities to keep building your idea.