A Project Based Learning interuniversity experience in materials science

Abstract

[EN] One of the peculiarities of the present Information and Communication Society is its complexity and changing character. Our education systems, within this new model of society, require a substantial change in their goals and practices. Thus, it is necessary for teachers to adapt to this reality and propose changes on one of the key elements of the curriculum: a methodology in which the student must be the real axis of university education and the teacher a mediator or guide the process. Among the methods that facilitate this transition, the Project Based Learning (PBL) allows learning different basic and/or specific skills, such as interdisciplinary teamwork, personal relationships, ethical commitment or critical thinking. In this paper, we present a proposal for educational innovation based on PBL methodology, conducted with the aim of analyzing its viability in core subjects of materials science engineering in different degrees in Spain. Specifically, it presents a PBL experiment carried out simultaneously by professors of materials science in four Spanish public universities, where the project has been tailored for each curriculum. The results show that this methodology arouses more interest in students than the traditional methodology , while allowing work transversal competences as well as providing a way to evaluate them