ENHANCEMENT IN THE ACQUISITION OF THE SUSTAINABILITY KEY COMPETENCE THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE DEGREE OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

This work presents the development of an innovative teaching methodology, which aims to improve the teaching-learning process of fundamental competences. This novel approach consists in involving the students in the evaluation and detection of the points in which the corresponding competence can be better implemented in the Degree.

The environmental sustainability has been chosen as competence to assay this new teaching methodology in the Chemical Engineering Degree. The development of a study to improve sustainability requires the application of a large number of skills, so it will serve as a way of transversal and horizontal coordination of different subjects and modules and will require a multidisciplinary integration and coordination within the competences acquired in the Degree. The work is being performed in the framework of a teaching innovation project founded by the University of Castilla-La Mancha. In addition, part of the project will be embodied in the execution of a final year project (FYP), allowing also to work on the acquisition of the competences of the FYP of Chemical Engineering.

The work will take the form of six activities, from the collection of information to the elaboration of case studies and the evaluation of the process by the students and faculty. At all stages of the process, students from different courses and groups of professors will be involved, leading each activity two project members directly related to the nature of the activity to be carried out.

The methodology presented is generalizable to a large number of competences of the Degree in Chemical Engineering and, on the other hand, environmental sustainability is a generalizable competence to a large number of official degrees of the University of Castilla-La Mancha. In addition, the improvement of the environmental sustainability of the Degree or, in other words, the reduction of the impact of the teaching activity will generate a positive impact on the image of the Degree in Chemical Engineering. Finally, we consider that the present work presents a clearly innovative approach to the teaching-learning process, by fully involving both students and professors in the improvement of the environmental sustainability of the degree, thereby creating a clear cooperation among all participants of the process and generating an important contribution to the university community.