Birnin Kebbi, Formosa News — Students learning computer architecture may retain complex concepts more effectively when lessons involve real-world challenges or connect technical material to familiar environments, according to a 2026 study by Sulaiman Abubakar Zubairu of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, and Sadiq Buhari Bello of Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria. Published in the International Journal of Applied Research and Sustainable Sciences (IJARSS), the study found that both Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) and Place-Based Learning (PBL) helped students maintain their knowledge over time, with neither approach showing a statistically significant advantage over the other.
The findings are relevant to computer engineering education because computer architecture contains interconnected and technically demanding concepts that students are expected to remember and apply in later courses and professional situations. The researchers argue that learning approaches involving active participation, collaboration, practical application, and real-world contexts can support deeper understanding and longer-term retention.
Why Retaining Computer Architecture Knowledge Matters
Computer architecture explains how the major components of a computer system work together. The subject includes processors, memory, input and output systems, storage, instruction execution, system performance, and interactions between hardware and software. These concepts form an important foundation for students preparing for careers in computing and engineering.
Understanding the material during a lesson or examination is only part of the learning process. Students also need to recall the concepts later and apply them to new situations.
The researchers from Ahmadu Bello University and Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic note that technical knowledge is often cumulative. New concepts are built on previously learned principles, meaning that weak retention of foundational material can make advanced topics more difficult to understand.
This is why teaching methods that encourage students to actively work with concepts may be valuable in technical education.
Two Different Ways to Make Learning More Active
The study compares two learner-centered approaches: Challenge-Based Learning and Place-Based Learning.
Challenge-Based Learning asks students to work on authentic challenges and develop solutions. Instead of simply receiving information from an instructor, students investigate problems, analyze possible solutions, collaborate with others, and apply what they have learned to practical situations.
Place-Based Learning takes a different route. It connects academic content with students' immediate surroundings, local environment, and everyday experiences. The approach encourages students to understand concepts through situations that are familiar and meaningful to them.
Although the two approaches use different contexts, both emphasize active participation, collaboration, inquiry, and practical engagement.
The researchers therefore examined whether either method could provide a stronger advantage when students were tested not immediately after instruction, but after a period of time.
Study Involved 41 Computer Engineering Students
The research involved 41 Computer Engineering students at Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria.
Twenty students were placed in the Challenge-Based Learning group, while 21 students were assigned to the Place-Based Learning group.
Both groups first completed a pre-test to establish their starting level of knowledge. They then received instruction using their respective learning approach for eight weeks.
After the instructional period, students completed a post-test. A retention test was administered three weeks later to determine how much of the material remained available to students after the immediate learning period. The researchers rearranged the test items to reduce the possibility that students would simply remember the previous sequence of questions.
The researchers used a 30-item Computer Architecture Achievement Test. The instrument was reviewed by subject experts and recorded a reliability coefficient of 0.86, indicating a high level of reliability for the assessment.
Students Retained Most of What They Learned
The results showed relatively small differences between students' scores immediately after instruction and their scores three weeks later.
Among students who learned through Challenge-Based Learning, the average post-test score was 37.25, while the retention-test average was 36.05. The difference was 1.20 points and was not statistically significant, with p = 0.167. This suggests that there was no significant decline in performance during the retention period.
The Place-Based Learning group showed an even smaller difference. Students recorded an average post-test score of 36.67, compared with 36.48 on the retention test. The difference was only 0.19 points and was not statistically significant, with p = 0.783.
The researchers then compared the retention scores of the two groups.
Students in the Place-Based Learning group recorded an average retention score of 36.48, while students in the Challenge-Based Learning group recorded 36.05. The difference was only 0.43 points.
Statistical testing showed no significant difference between the two approaches, with t(35.72) = 0.15 and p = 0.883.
The central finding is therefore clear: both approaches were similarly effective in supporting students' retention of Computer Architecture concepts.
Why Both Approaches May Work
Sulaiman Abubakar Zubairu and Sadiq Buhari Bello explain that both learning strategies share several features that can support meaningful learning.
Challenge-Based Learning places students in situations where they must investigate authentic problems, collaborate, and develop solutions. Such activities require students to actively process information instead of simply receiving it.
Place-Based Learning connects knowledge with familiar environments and experiences. According to the researchers, these connections can provide meaningful context that helps students build stronger associations with newly learned information.
The authors from Ahmadu Bello University and Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic emphasize that both approaches encourage active participation, collaboration, inquiry, reflection, and real-world application. These shared characteristics may explain why the study did not find a meaningful difference between the two methods.
In other words, the study does not identify one method as the universal winner. Instead, it suggests that different forms of active and contextual learning can produce comparable benefits for long-term knowledge retention.
Implications for Engineering Education
The findings offer practical considerations for universities and polytechnics teaching computer engineering and other technical disciplines.
Lecturers could incorporate real-world challenges into lessons or connect technical concepts with students' immediate environments. Such approaches can provide opportunities for students to apply theoretical knowledge rather than relying primarily on memorization.
The researchers recommend integrating Challenge-Based Learning and Place-Based Learning into Computer Engineering programs, particularly in Computer Architecture and related courses. They also recommend professional development programs, workshops, and seminars to help lecturers design and implement these approaches effectively.
For curriculum developers and educational administrators, the findings provide evidence that learner-centered and contextualized teaching can be incorporated into technical education without requiring educators to choose one approach exclusively.
The broader implication is that effective learning can take different forms. A classroom can be structured around solving a meaningful challenge, exploring a familiar environment, or combining elements of both.
A More Sustainable Approach to Learning
The study's conclusion is not that traditional teaching should simply be replaced. Rather, it highlights the potential value of adding learning experiences that require students to actively engage with knowledge.
For Computer Engineering students, retaining concepts such as processor organization, memory systems, instruction execution, and hardware-software interaction is important because these ideas become foundations for more advanced technical knowledge.
Based on their findings, Zubairu and Bello conclude that both Challenge-Based Learning and Place-Based Learning can support sustainable learning and long-term retention in Computer Engineering education.
The study was conducted with a relatively small group of 41 students at one institution, so its findings should be understood within that context. Nevertheless, it provides a useful indication for technical educators exploring ways to make complex subjects more engaging and easier for students to retain.
Author Profile
Sulaiman Abubakar Zubairu is affiliated with Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, while Sadiq Buhari Bello is affiliated with Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria. Both authors are also associated with the TETFund Centre of Excellence in Pedagogy at Ahmadu Bello University. Their work in this article focuses on Computer Engineering education, Computer Architecture, learner-centered instruction, Challenge-Based Learning, Place-Based Learning, and knowledge retention.
Research Source
Article Title: Effects of Challenge-Based Learning and Place-Based Learning on Polytechnic Computer Engineering Students' Retention in Computer Architecture
Authors: Sulaiman Abubakar Zubairu and Sadiq Buhari Bello
Affiliations: Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria
Journal: International Journal of Applied Research and Sustainable Sciences (IJARSS)
Publication Year: 2026
Volume: 4, No. 6
Pages: 631–642
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59890/ijarss.v4i6.36
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