With the rapid growth of the technology era, the conventional teaching approach is not sufficient for students of the millennial generation. With this in mind, this article presents the justification for incorporating Kolb's experiential learning, based on laboratory practices with an environment supported by simulation software, combined with problem-based learning, into the Fundamentals of Control and Automation course of the Mechanical Engineering program of the Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander Ocaña. The central objective of the proposal is to work on the generation of competencies and performance skills in the mechanical engineering student from his academic training. This approach takes advantage of the strength of learning based on laboratory practices and problem-based learning using modern teaching technologies and a combination of face-to-face laboratory practices and simulation software, which are associated with Kolb's cycle to facilitate constructivist learning.