Abstract:

It has long been understood that capturing and keeping students’ attention sets the teaching-learning process into motion. More recently, we have come to a new realization because of the circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic: innovative teaching methods must be promoted, developed and implemented at the University of La Rioja, especially in terms of digitalizing teaching. The methodology proposed herein aims to improve upon shortcomings observed in past Teaching Innovation Projects. This TIP’s activity was implemented in the subject of Industrial Constructions, which falls within the first school year of the Master’s in Industrial Engineering. This TIP conducted three complementary activities: a seminar on Open BIM, short videos (approx. 5') on structural elements, and prototypes of joints for later testing. Once the activities were performed, students completed a survey to understand their concerns and ideas for improvement. The videos on construction elements included structural modeling and analysis, planning, and a graphic representation of execution and costs. Each step involved in creating this original video makes it a powerful learning tool. This task transported students from their classroom or home into the professional life of a structural engineer. The versatile nature of this project is beneficial for students who are yet inexperienced in the construction sector by providing them with a descriptive overview of the process, while it is also useful for more experienced students who wish to deepen their knowledge base, by offering them an more overarching perspective including a variety of implications. This breadth of scope allows this task to be utilized at different phases or levels of education, from Bachelor’s to Master’s degree programs. What’s more, this educational activity also presents teachers with the opportunity to reflect on aspects of the construction process and its different connections.

Keywords:

Teaching innovation, Transversality, Structures, Building modelling, Educational videos.