TEACHING INNOVATION PROJECT AIMED AT INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MALAGA

Regarding the business sector, enterprises do not only seek for an academic degree in their candidates, but they want the applicants to gather a set of personal competences such as initiative, communication skills, commercial vision, ability to work in a team or by goals, organizational capacity, negotiation skills, etc. as well. Many of these skills are found among our students, however, these capacities do not often go beyond the academic field.

The work presented here aims at employing a learning methodology where there is active team participation, individual and also group evaluation, competitiveness and competition, the participation of professionals involved in an specific industrial sector, group forums, follow-up questionnaires, exhibitions, digital manufacturing, professional projections through a web, among others. That is to say, innovative learning while paying attention to the professional future of the students.

Taking advantage of the broad and diverse possibilities of this digital era, for instance digital manufacturing and prototyping, students are able to develop their inner skills through Project Based Learning or ‘PBL’ beyond merely the academic path, especially considering their future entrance in the professional field.

PBL methodology was employed in three courses. The methodology of the last year course was adapted to the valencian ITENE Institute for packaging design and development. The most outstanding results include a high motivation of the students as well as promoting the participating students within the industrial sector of the contributing companies.