Purpose: This study explores the preferences for learning methods among the students of seven engineering disciplines in a Spanish technical university. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the students' views and from them contribute to the knowledge of the effectiveness of learning methodologies. Design/methodology/approach: An online…

The design of solar power plants and the operating principles are learned by engineering students during the last academic year. Typically, this subject is taught using the traditional methodology based on lectures where students are not considered as an active player of the class. The aim of this experience was to implement innovative…

The new educational paradigm has led to a change in the teaching methodologies toward those more focused on the student, among these, project-based learning (PBL) is postulated as one of the most promising. This work is focused on the description of the experience of using PBL methodology in Materials Science courses, conducted by four different…

The classroom closure during the first semester of 2020 entailed decisive changes in higher education. Universities have become more digital in both the availability of e-resources and pervasive devices and how students communicate with lecturers and classmates. Learners adapted their study habits with a growing role of self-paced, internet-based…

The engineering graduate of today will engage in a career which will span the middle of the twenty-first century, and beyond. They will work in a world which is increasingly more complex and uncertain than at any time before. This will require an integrated combination of technical knowledge and transferable skills and values, to a greater extent…

Hands-on experimentation has widely demonstrated its efficacy in engineering training, especially in control formation, since experimentation using computer-aided control system design (CACSD) tools is essential for future engineers. In this context, this article describes a case study for Control Engineering formation, based on a new lab practice…

Contribution: A novel project-based learning (PBL) approach applicable to diverse design-oriented engineering courses. This article reports the application results during six academic years (2012/13 to 2017/18) for electronic instrumentation (EI) course for third-year Industrial Electronic and Automation Engineering majors. Background: Engineering…

This work presents the assessment of the development and evolution of an active methodology (Project-Based Learning--PBL) implemented on the course "Unit Operations in Environmental Engineering", within the bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering, with the purpose of decreasing the dropout rate in this course. After the initial…

Contribution: An analysis of the extent to which sustainability is present in the syllabi, project briefs, report templates, and student final reports of the three Iberian European project semester (EPS) providers, over a five-year period. Background: EPS is a one-semester capstone project framework that adopts project-based learning and…

The present study assessed a short training experiment to improve spatial abilities using two tools based on virtual technologies: one focused on manipulation of specific geometric virtual pieces, and the other consisting of virtual orienteering game. The two tools can help improve spatial abilities required for many engineering problem-solving…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to deliver a roadmap that displays pathways to develop sustainability skills in the engineering curricula. Design/methodology/approach: The selected approach to enrich engineering students with sustainability skills was active learning methodologies. First, a survey was carried out on a sample of 189 students…

This work describes the design and evaluation of a proposal to use Classroom Response Systems (CRS), intended to promote participative classes of Mathematics at University. The proposal is based on Problem Based Learnig (PBL) and uses Robert's six hypotheses for mathematical teaching-learning. The results show that PBL is a relevant strategy to…

In the context of higher education, a competence may be understood as the combination of skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, and abilities that underpin effective and/or superior performance in a professional area. The aim of the work reported here was to design a set of procedures to assess a transferable competence, i.e., problem solving, that…

Students suffer academic procrastination while dealing with frequent deadlines and working under pressure. This causes to delay their coursework and may affect their academic progress, despite feeling worse. Triggering students' motivation, like introducing technologies, helps to reduce procrastination. In this context, Augmented Reality has been…

In this paper, an optimal tuning tool is presented for control structures based on multivariable proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control, using genetic algorithms as an alternative to traditional optimization algorithms. From an educational point of view, this tool provides students with the necessary means to consolidate their knowledge on…