Abstract:

Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in the use of different learning tools to motivate the students. This motivation is especially important within the engineering field, where the results obtained fall usually below other areas in terms of success. In the present work, we have worked with practical applications in the form of a studio case to approach the students to a real scenario. More specifically, the same studio case has been proposed to several engineering degrees, but with different objectives. The aim was to develop an electronic heatsink within the collaboration of different engineering degrees and subject areas (manufacturing, thermal analysis, and graphic design). In this regard, a collaboration between the students of the different areas has been proposed by exchanging their knowledge to design a proper electronic heatsink. In particular, students from first to last course of the different engineering degrees were involved, so that a more fruitful knowledge exchange can be achieved. Finally, a prototype of this studio case has been manufactured, which promotes the motivation of the students in working in a real-case scenario. The methodology followed consisted of a series of meeting between the responsible professors of the different areas and the students to properly define the objectives. In this regard, the inputs from thermal analysis students were used to feed the requirements of the students in charge of the selection of materials and manufacturing processes. Finally, the students from graphic design area were in charge of designing the final prototype. The results of this experiment were satisfactory, with a good student perception, which also showed better results in the different subjects, showing that the collaboration between students of different areas may be enriching. More specifically, the students participating in the project achieved much superior marks in comparison to the rest of the students, proving the effectiveness of the project.

Keywords:

teamwork, practical applications, knowledge exchange, real-case scenario.