DIGITAL LIBRARY
DESIGN CRITERIA FOR 21ST CENTURY ENGINEERING TRAINING
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, ETS Ingeniería Civil (SPAIN)
About this paper:
Appears in: ICERI2021 Proceedings
Publication year: 2021
Pages: 5341-5345
ISBN: 978-84-09-34549-6
ISSN: 2340-1095
doi: 10.21125/iceri.2021.1209
Conference name: 14th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation
Dates: 8-9 November, 2021
Location: Online Conference
Abstract:
Engineering studies must be aimed at training professionals who propose efficient solutions to the technical deficiencies demanded by society.
The search for these solutions implies a process of creation and innovation. Therefore, current and future engineers need to have a broad multidisciplinary training that enables them to solve environmental problems based on efficiency and care for the environment, as stated in the SDGs.

In addition to technical and scientific training, it is necessary that graduates develop their attitudes for teamwork and the ability to manage human and material resources. In other words, it is a matter of promoting a humanistic spirit, where graduates are people with a vast training, both in scientific and technical aspects as well as in cultural and environmental aspects and in personal relations and with their environment.

The criterion for the organization of training processes must be oriented to the achievement of results by students and not to the fulfillment of methodologies supervised by the management bodies. It is therefore a question of achieving teaching focused on what society demands at any given moment.

Students should receive training in STEAM areas (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths), and at the same time be responsible for knowing how to apply the knowledge acquired to solve problems in their area of interest. Training should be open, flexible and free, since knowledge is a good that will benefit society.

The design of the training systems, the organizations that develop the activities and the teachers who work with the students must be adapted to this system.

The School of Civil Engineering of the Polytechnic University of Madrid is a very suitable environment to experiment with these processes of innovation, creativity and flexibility in engineering education. This school is working on the implementation of one of these training models, which is currently being evaluated.

In the model that this School proposes, we work with three basic pillars, which are:
- The SDGs
- The World Economic Forum's engineering employability skills.
- The "Next Generation" Program of the European Union.

It is a program that is still in the analysis phase, but it is receiving very favorable reviews from the evaluators and we hope to achieve very satisfactory results after its implementation.
Keywords:
ODS, STEAM, Training Processes, Nexte Generation Program, World Economic Forum.