International design project semester

Abstract

Sustainability and Internationalization are key factors within educational programmes and institutions nowadays. Offering programmes which focus on these factors at undergraduate level has been a priority at the School of Engineering of Vilanova i la Geltrú (EPSEVG) since the introduction of the European Project Semester (EPS) in 2008. In line with its policy to increase Internationalization and Sustainability in its programmes, the School of Engineering of Vilanova i la Geltrú (EPSEVG) has designed and coordinated a new Erasmus mobility programme, the International Design Project Semester (IDPS), which started in February 2012. IDPS trains engineering students by applying Project Based Learning in intercultural groups. The working language is English and the programme is designed for degree students in their 7th or 8th semester. The IDPS programme offered at the EPSEVG emphasises the introduction of competences in sustainability and human technology. The main objective of the IDPS is to improve the learning outcomes and competences of industrial design engineering students especially in areas of sustainability. It is divided into two parts. One part covers four three (ECTS) credit core courses in specialist fields of study such as Eco Design , Human Centred Design , Sustainable Value Design and Visual Language and Grammar and the second part involves working on a project (worth 18 ECTS. Additional seminars and workshops compliment the courses and vary from programme to programme. The projects are proposed by local companies and research groups. This paper shows the design methodology used in the IDPS programme its structure and the sustainability competences to be achieved by the students.