Abstract:

In a rapidly changing world, engineers must possess an increasingly innovative and entrepreneurial profile to propose solutions to real-world problems. In this context, active learning methods play a central role by stimulating the development of competences essential for entrepreneurship and employability, such as communication skills, teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity. Moreover, these methods enhance student engagement. Among the main active learning methods, Project-based learning stands out for bringing students closer to the reality they will encounter after graduation and is explicitly recommended in the literature and best practices within the field of engineering education.

Simultaneously, higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly focusing on contributing to the development of new products, services, and solutions in collaboration with other public and private institutions, following the best practices of open innovation. In this context, the selection of projects suitable for the circumstances and the students' level is a determining factor for achieving learning outcomes and extracting the best from students. To facilitate a positive project selection, the concepts of open innovation can be employed, bringing external institutions' needs into the HEI. This approach benefits both students, who face challenges different from traditional courses, and demanding institutions, which can obtain lower-cost solutions, increased access to knowledge, networking opportunities, and contact with the academic environment.

This work explores how the concepts of open innovation can be applied in engineering programs, presenting the curricular changes that occurred in the courses at the Instituto Militar de Engenharia (IME), the engineering school of the Brazilian Army and one of the most prestigious schools in Brazil. Second-year students undertake a Project-based Learning (PBL) course where projects are selected based on demands from other institutions aligned with the interests of the Brazilian Army. In this course, candidate projects are selected according to specific criteria. The selected projects are developed by students under the supervision of an advisor from the demanding institution and an IME professor, aiming to create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). It is also possible for some projects to continue in subsequent terms, contributing to advancements in the technological readiness of the students' outcomes. Finally, the implementations of active learning techniques in the 2022 and 2023 editions of this course were evaluated using the Engineering Education Active Learning Maturity Model (E2ALM2). Approximately 150 students responded to the questionnaires, and the results are presented and discussed.

Keywords:

Open innovation, active learning, project-based learning, engineering education.