Abstract:

This paper presents a cross-curricular teaching innovation project which is to be developed during the academic year 2012-13 at the Polytechnic School of Engineering (Spanish acronym, EPI) in Gijon. The working group consists of 9 lecturers belonging to 5 departments (Physics, Physical and Analytical Chemistry, Construction and Manufacturing Engineering, Mathematics and Electrical Engineering, and Computer and Systems Electronics).

Work will be undertaken on the contents of 7 subjects (Calculus, Advanced Mathematics, Electrical Technology, Transportation and Distribution of Electric Power, Theory of Structures and Industrial Buildings, Chemistry, Physical Chemistry III and Electromagnetism and Waves) forming part of the curricula of 5 degrees at the EPI, Gijón (BEng in Industrial Technology, BEng in Electrical Engineering, BEng in Industrial Electronics and Automation, BEng in Mechanical Engineering and BEng in Chemical Engineering) and of the BSc in Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry:

In this project we focus on the role of the Wolfram Demonstrations Project (WDP) in the teaching of diverse disciplines related to Engineering Degrees and show the advantages of using this application. The WDP (http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/) is an open-source resource included in the resources that Mathematica makes available to students and teachers around the world. The WDP resources, linked to specific contents of the course matter of each subject, will be presented to students via a website. Lecturers as well as students will thus be able use them online: lecturers to impart classes and students to prepare the subject.
As a supplement to face-to-face teaching, this online teaching resource presents numerous advantages over the conventional lecture, reinforcing the role of the student as the central figure in the teaching-learning process. We shall see that, via the use of new technological tools and ICT, this interactive learning method constitutes a powerful tool for teaching innovation, which has become essential as a result of the implementation of the new curricula within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

The major goals of the project are to:

- Further develop management and coordination projects between lecturers as well as interdisciplinary projects.
- Develop and foster experiences that enable students to become autonomous in the process of virtual and life-long education.
- Incorporate technological tools and activities which integrate new resources.
- Create innovation projects related to online learning to supplement classroom teaching, in which coordination between lecturers must be paramount.

Keywords:

Wolfram Demonstrations Project, on-line teaching.