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A promising methodology. Assessing the pedagogical value of hackathons.

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Title: A promising methodology. Assessing the pedagogical value of hackathons.
Authors: Resch, Katharina1,2 (AUTHOR) katharina.resch@ph-ooe.at, Freudhofmayer, Sabine3 (AUTHOR), Martínez-Usarralde, María-Jesús4 (AUTHOR)
Source: Active Learning in Higher Education. Jul2026, Vol. 27 Issue 3, p291-305. 15p.
Subject Terms: *Learning theories in education, *Inquiry-based learning, *Teaching methods, *Experiential learning, *Higher education, *Service learning, *Problem-based learning, Hackathons
Abstract: Hackathons have become increasingly popular in higher education, although prior research about their use in the higher education sector is limited in scope and does not link the new pedagogy to learning theories. In contrast to the main literature in this field, our research adopts a conceptual rather than an empirical focus and is built on two comparative analyses. The first of these is a placement of hackathons within learning theories, in particular inquiry-based learning, experiential learning, challenge-based learning, problem-based and project-based learning. The second is a comparative analysis of hackathons with other community-based methodologies, that is, service-learning, challenge-based learning and community-based research, with which many educators already identify. Hence, our study lays the ground for assessing the pedagogical value of hackathons in higher education and provides a methodological comparison for educators, who aim to use this type of pedagogy in their applied coursework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Education Research Complete
Description
Abstract:Hackathons have become increasingly popular in higher education, although prior research about their use in the higher education sector is limited in scope and does not link the new pedagogy to learning theories. In contrast to the main literature in this field, our research adopts a conceptual rather than an empirical focus and is built on two comparative analyses. The first of these is a placement of hackathons within learning theories, in particular inquiry-based learning, experiential learning, challenge-based learning, problem-based and project-based learning. The second is a comparative analysis of hackathons with other community-based methodologies, that is, service-learning, challenge-based learning and community-based research, with which many educators already identify. Hence, our study lays the ground for assessing the pedagogical value of hackathons in higher education and provides a methodological comparison for educators, who aim to use this type of pedagogy in their applied coursework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:14697874
DOI:10.1177/14697874251330793