Effects of Challenge-Based Learning on Academic Performance in Computer Architecture among Polytechnic Computer Students

This study examined the effects of Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) on the academic performance of Computer Science/Engineering students in Computer Architecture, in relation to the conventional lecture method at Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria. The study adopted a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent pre-test post-test control group design. Forty-five (45) Computer Science and Computer Engineering students were assigned to a Challenge-Based Learning group and a Conventional Lecture Method group and both groups were taught Computer Architecture for eight weeks using their respective instructional strategies. Data were collected using the Computer Architecture Achievement Test (CAAT), a 30-item multiple-choice instrument with a test–retest reliability coefficient of 0.86 and analysed using means, standard deviations, paired-sample t-tests and an independent-sample t-test at the 0.05 level of significance. The results showed a statistically significant improvement in mean scores from pre-test to post-test for both the Challenge-Based Learning group (t = -14.44, df = 19, p < .001) and the Conventional Lecture Method group (t = -14.42, df = 24, p < .001). More importantly, students taught with Challenge-Based Learning performed significantly better on the post-test than those taught with the conventional lecture method (t = 3.18, df = 43, p = .003), even though the two groups did not differ significantly at pre-test. These findings suggest that, while both approaches improve performance, Challenge-Based Learning is a more effective instructional strategy than the conventional lecture method for teaching Computer Architecture. The study recommends that Computer Engineering lecturers in polytechnics adopt Challenge-Based Learning, particularly for abstract and applied topics in Computer Architecture and that curriculum planners provide the institutional support required for its sustained implementation