Abstract:

Nowadays, the existing distance between theoretical and practical education at university level, particularly in engineering courses consists in problems that require urgent solutions.

One of the most important challenges consists in developing in students the ability to design high-value innovative processes and products. The Problem-Based Learning (PBL) has great advantages for the students as well as the educator in order to break the limits in theory and practice, offering a tool for active and significative learning. The PBL successfully carried over in university classrooms not only places the student as the center of learning, it also allows the student to develop the required ability and mindset to front-face real-life situations and successfully apply the acquired knowledge.

This article presents the educational experience of PBL carried over in the Project Viability course at the Tecnologico de Monterrey. The students of this course faced the problem to be developed, which consisted of the use of the natural components of the avocado fruit to respond to the tendency of natural food, without synthetic additives. Currently in Mexico, the avocado industry Persea considers its seed as a residual sub-product that creates thousands of tons of waste. The implementation of new technologies for the use of this seed bring the opportunity to mitigate the environmental impact and provide a high-value to this residual sub-product.

The main objective of this article is to present and discuss the application of the PBL methodology in the course mentioned above. This article also discusses the educator’s role as the driver and facilitator of the project carried on. The summary of this article reflects about the impulse of the obtained results during the projects as well as the planning of new challenges and problems to solve.

Keywords:

Engineering education, evaluation methodology, innovative products, new products design, new technologies, practical education, Problem-Based Learning, undergraduate education.