Sustainable Development Goals integrated in Project-based Learning in the Mechanical Engineering Degree

Abstract

[EN] The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an action plan to reach a better and more sustainable future for everybody. This is the main reason why universities have to make a special effort to instil in students the importance of the SDGs as well as promote actions addressed to the end poverty, the protection of the planet and the improvement of lives and prospects of everyone in any place. In light of this, one of the methodologies that currently is very used by universities is Project- Based Learning (PBL). This methodology promotes active teaching in which students are the main actors. With this methodology students solve challenging situations, raise questions, and try to answer them using their knowledge, means, resources, research, reflection in an active and collaborative way. It is not a new methodology, but it is unquestionable that in the last years it has been implemented in a generalized way in comparison with other educational trends. The objective of this paper is to define a learning approach based on PBL to achieve and enhance students' knowledge about SDGs. In addition, the paper also shows an illustrative example of a PBL model applied to some of the 17 SGDs that can be the basis for other teachers to apply the PBL methodology to develop students¿ capacity to achieve SGDs in other subjects and/or degrees.