This study outlines an experiential approach designed to actively engage university students, inviting them to explore, participate and contribute to challenging research topics. The aim is to transform learning into a dynamic journey of innovation and collaboration. The experimentation is developed within the framework of a dissemination activity of the GEEDI (Energy Management of Buildings through Data Analysis Processes and Building Information Modeling) research project, funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRP) within the cascading call of the NODES (Digital and Sustainable Northwest) project under Spoke 4: Digital and Sustainable Mountain. GEEDI proposes to develop a digital service platform for building energy planning and retrofitting. The target students involved are master's degree building engineers with multidisciplinary Knowledge of the built heritage in the age of climate change course. The teaching objective is to launch a challenge for students to structure a DBL (Digital Building Logbook), introduced by the EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings) Directive. The approach involves gradually bringing students closer to the topic by establishing a series of activities that implement diversified teaching methodologies. The activity is structured into four stages, switching between individual/collective, passive/active, and internal/external from university learning modes. The first approach to the problem to be addressed is personal and involves accessing material selected by the lecturer in asynchronous mode. The flipped classroom technique allows for a reversal of the traditional frontal, notion-based model of teaching, allowing students to approach concepts independently in favour of more hands-on, interactive classroom activities. After understanding the scope of the investigation according to a self-learning time, the second step involves micro-lectures on specific topics in the classroom and establishing a plenary discussion. To make students understand the relevance and novelty of the challenge, they are engaged in dissemination and technology transfer activities related to the GEEDI project. Specifically, students are invited to participate in webinars of related research projects and industry exhibitions. The last step involves organizing a hackathon for students to use design thinking techniques and problem and project-based learning in a highly experiential context. This phase provides an opportunity to creatively apply the theoretical knowledge acquired during the course to address real-world challenges. The structured progression through individual, collective, passive, and active learning modes ensures a well-rounded educational experience, fostering collaboration and critical thinking. Using design thinking, problem-based learning, and learning-by-doing techniques allows students to approach the problem in a creative and multidisciplinary way, engaging not only technical skills but also relational, communication, and teamwork abilities.

Keywords: Flipped classroom, micro-lectures, hackathon, problem based learning.