Abstract:

Traditionally, Engineering degree programs have been characterized by a strong theoretical emphasis in the early courses, covering complex mathematics and physics content, thus establishing a necessary foundation for more advanced subjects. The difficulty and level of abstraction required to assimilate these contents often result in higher failure rates, highlighting the challenges students face in learning. On the other hand, the approach of moving from practice to theory has proven to be very effective, creating favorable learning contexts. Although this type of approach has been more explored in Humanities and Social Sciences, technical degrees can also benefit from this approach. In technical fields, the greater difficulty lies in the fact that to understand and tackle some practical problems, it is necessary to acquire certain theoretical knowledge beforehand, especially in mathematics and physics.

In this work, we design and analyze a methodological approach to address the content of a Fluid Mechanics course in an Industrial Engineering program. We propose an approach that moves from practice to theory, analyzing in detail the fundamental and minimal theoretical aspects that students must acquire to autonomously tackle the practical part of the course.

Keywords:

Problem-based learning, Engineering, Higher Education.