Abstract:

During the 2023 and 2024 academic years, an active-learning pedagogical model was implemented in the doctoral course “Humidity in Porous and Granular Media and its Impact on Construction Materials and Granular Dynamics” at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Buenos Aires. The course, aimed at PhD students, combined asynchronous video tutorials from the UPV/EHU OCW channel, guided problem-solving activities, and just-in-time teaching (JiTT) supported by continuous formative assessment through Socrative questionnaires.

To evaluate the methodology, a concise end-of-course questionnaire was designed and administered to small cohorts of students in each edition. Responses were collected using a five-point Likert scale and used to construct quantitative composite indicators assessing three key dimensions: the perceived impact of video tutorials on students’ preparedness, understanding, and confidence during problem-solving; the effectiveness of JiTT in identifying conceptual difficulties and adapting in-class activities; and the overall impact of the active-learning methodology on learning and participation.

Across both course editions, students reported a consistently positive perception of the proposed approach. The indicator related to video tutorials showed high mean values, suggesting that asynchronous materials effectively supported the review of complex topics and increased confidence during problem-solving sessions. Similarly, the JiTT-related indicator indicated that pre-class questionnaires provided valuable feedback that informed instructional adjustments. The global indicator confirmed that the combined use of video tutorials, JiTT, and guided problem-solving fostered active engagement and participation. Slightly higher scores in the second edition suggest a progressive refinement of the instructional design.

Overall, the results indicate that integrating open educational resources with real-time formative feedback constitutes an effective active-learning strategy in highly specialized scientific domains. Beyond the specific course context, the proposed methodology is potentially transferable to other graduate-level and advanced technical courses where conceptual complexity and small-group instruction benefit from flexible, student-centered learning designs.

Keywords:

Active learning, Just-in-Time Teaching, Doctoral education, Porous media, Granular media, Humidity transport, Engineering pedagogy.