TECHNO-CUBE, A PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING PROJECT BASED ON CURRENT INDUSTRY DEMANDS

In the past few decades there has been a general trend in higher education towards more student-centred approaches to learning stressing self-directed learning, collaborative learning and learning related to practice (Perrenet et al., 2000). A clear example of such innovative educational model is the problem-based learning (onwards, PBL).
In the traditional PBL project, the students are presented with a problem scenario, usually proposed by faculty and founded on industry problems or needs. Thereupon, they have to formulate and analyse the problem by identifying the relevant facts from the scenario (Hmelo-Silver, 2004). Based on this traditional insight, students do not interact with any business; not shorting the distance between theory and practice.
To bridge this gap, Mondragon University has developed a pilot experience (within engineering students) called Techno-Cube which promotes a PBL project based on current industry demands. This new learning methodology involves industry within the whole PBL project; since the introduction of the organisations’ problematic, until students’ project proposals. Within this process, diverse organisations, from Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, Spain), have presented their problems or necessities related to “New Business Opportunities - Diversification” and have kept track of its evolution (together with an academic tutor) until the delivery of the project.
This paper describes the experience obtained and the implications to introduce similar approaches on engineering students; highlighting the important role that university-industry collaboration plays bringing closer the industrial reality to the students.