Abstract:

The current characteristics, concerns, preferences, and interests of students differ greatly from the previous students’ generations. Nowadays, students are increasingly demanding active methodologies that facilitate their learning process. To fulfil the actual students’ requirements, the academic research is focused on the definition of educational mechanisms that promote that promote greater students’ participation.

Among these mechanisms, the project-based learning (PBL) is a model that organizes learning around projects. Projects are student-driven and provide more tangible results what has been considered as a positive aspect to deepen and retain knowledge. The main objective of this paper is to describe all the activities performed to plan, define, design and project two PBL models in the last courses (3rd and 4th courses) of the Computer Engineering Degree.

The first PBL model involves the following subjects:
(i) Enterprises Requirements Analysis and
(ii) Business and Models of Business and Functional Areas of the Organization; while the second PBL model is focused on the subjects:
(iii) Project Management and
(iv) Software Engineering.

The first PBL model is more business-oriented while the second one is more project and software-directed. Both models seek to give continuity to the teaching-learning process so that students appreciate greater coherence, links and succession of the contents of different subjects. Moreover, the definition of the PBL models will also support the enhancement of the horizontal and vertical transversal coordination among different subjects.

Keywords:

Project-based Learning, Computer Engineering, Horizontal and Vertical Transversal Coordination.