Innovate to Mitigate greenhouse gases: Gaining skill in science practices through a problem-based learning challenge

Abstract: The Innovate to Mitigate project has adapted problem-based learning (PBL) for secondary-school students by posing open-ended design challenges and by including a crowdsourcing element to support systematic improvement of student designs. Students were charged with designing feasible innovative strategies to mitigate CO2 emissions. This paper reports on student learning of science practices as defined by the Next Generation Science Standards. The study draws on data from 15 teams of 8th-12th students who participated in the 2024 iteration of the Innovate to Mitigate competition. The competition was implemented in a range of science classrooms that included introductory environmental science, AP environmental science, general science, and physics. Mixed methods analysis reveals that the Innovate to Mitigate PBL learning environment resulted in significant gains in student learning of the practices. Implications for the successful implementation of PBL in a wide range of contexts include the need for iterative design, collaboration, critique, and public communications. These features supported students to design and evaluate investigations, construct evidence-based arguments, and engage in productive discourse, all essential skills for scientific literacy.