Higher education challenges: introduction of active methodologies in engineering curricula

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to develop and implement a progressive project to evaluate the current teaching/learning process in our universities. We will also consider the fact that in order to measure and certify the acquisition of cross curricular competencies, such as being able to search for specific information, working in a group, etc., we will have to identify the roles and responsibilities of the teaching professional in the team involved in the courses: Subject Head, Student Body Tutor, Project Co-ordinator and Head of the Centre's teaching plan. We also include a sample of the teaching/learning process divided into four phases: Reflection, Active methodologies plan, Execution and Assessment. Next, we describe the application of this approach inside the current Engineering Degree curriculum in the Vilanova i la Geltrú's Higher School of Engineering (Technical University of Catalonia). We will include examples of the use of PBL (Problem-/ Project-Based Learning) and Cooperative Learning in subjects in the MsC Engineering curricula Automation and Industrial Electronics Engineering in two High Schools at the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC). Through these experiences we will illustrate the conjoining and coordinating of subjects and how the competencies of our students are measured in order to make academic changes much easier and, therefore, give us more confidence in facing the imminent European Higher Education convergence.