Strengthening Puzzle-based Learning with Individualization

Dictionaries define a puzzle as a question that requires critical thinking to answer. Typically, puzzles are fun and joy to solve, and result in a Eureka moment when solved.Puzzle-based learning uses puzzles as a means to promote critical thinking and to reinforce concepts taught in class. Set at the right level of difficulty, puzzles motivate students to learn and solve.While puzzle-based learning works well for individual students, it is not conducive to student collaboration: When one student finds the solution to the puzzle, the rest of the students in the group are deprived of their own Eureka moments. It also allows students to copy answers from others without having to think about the process of finding the answer.This paper attempts to answer the following research question: Can individualisation strengthen puzzle-based learning to enable collaboration at a conceptual level while the solutions are still individual?The paper describes a case study that applied individualised puzzle-based learning to a large class (of just over 200 students) on digital security and computer networks. Some of the puzzles were easy while some were challenging. The paper discusses the puzzles in detail, and analyses student performance on these puzzles as well as overall student feedback.