Abstract:

In today's industrial context, collaborative work is no longer good practice, but essential to ensure the flexibility of companies in the aspect of market demand. Training in the use of collaborative engineering tools and methods generate an important added value to the student, and to the professional. Companies and training centers in general, and the universities in particular, have to contribute in this field. Collaborative work in the classroom thus becomes an essential learning way to be stimulated in the classroom. The IT tools associated with collaborative work are also closely linked, and can become an exceptional support for the distance learning. Collaborative engineering therefore simultaneously becomes a target and a training medium. This work aims to analyze the application of collaborative engineering in the development of laboratory practices (workshops) in various subjects of the Degree of Mechanical Engineering.

The methodology applied to the work begin on the current situation of the enterprise-university, looking for new solutions to facilitate the training to the student. We have made a field study to localize the commercial solutions it is feasible to use. We have not found a commercial solution that responds to all the needs proposed, which is why we choose the development of our own methodological solution.

Several universities have already carried out different experiences in collaborative engineering. These are mainly oriented to the implementation of teamwork, without having explored aspects like the pedagogical qualities of collaborative methodology, or the use of new unified communications as a service (UCaaS) computer tools for collaborative work and distance learning. These applications are relatively recent and in full expansion. We have to be conscious that collaborative work have to be a methodology of teamwork and not only a computer knowledge tools for the information exchange.

The National University of Distance Education has a variety of tools based on information and communication technologies (ICT) to develop the teaching and transmission of knowledge. Given the characteristics of distance education, students at this university are formed in parallel in the use of these tools. The university shows a favorable context, and has a highly competent department in the domain of collaborative engineering. However, the development of laboratory practices in subjects in the field of engineering is still carried out traditionally.

This work presents the results of this analysis. Also, the first surveys carried out with technicians and professors in our field, which augur an encouraging future for our project.

The project we are developing proposes the realization of telematics laboratory practices. These practices aim to train students in computer-aided design systems. The difference between laboratory practices like we propose and a telematics class is that in the telematics class several students see and listen to the teacher, while in our project it is the teacher who sees and listens to all the students. In a workshop or in conventional laboratory practices the teacher approaches the tables of the students and observes and comments on the development of the practices. But in telematics practices this is not so easy to do, and more in our university, that students are disseminated all over the world.

This project, which began several years ago, is particularly relevant today due to the epidemic affecting our society. Thanks to the forward-looking approach of this project, it has been possible to face the 2020-21 academic year without major difficulties.

In anticipation of the conclusions, we can point out that the project is being very well received by the technical and academic community in the field of engineering. Possibly, this is because collaborative engineering is precisely a tool currently widely used in professional fields, and less used in academic fields.

Keywords:

Collaborative engineering, Engineering degree, Computer design, Collaborative tools, Distance learning.