Abstract:

The aim of the contribution is to present a case study of Industry effectively supporting engineering education at an Italian university. Cooperation with Industry is crucial to strengthen mechanical engineering students’ comprehension and practical skills, bridging the gap between university and academia. In the present study, during a Master of Science course focused on the design of a complex machine (car suspension system) interacting with drivers, a practical on-track experience at the Industry facility was offered to students in addition to regular lectures. Perception of the usefulness of the practical teaching activity was assessed in a sample of 75 Master of Science mechanical engineering students (96.0% male; mean age=23.81 years, SD=1.52 years) who completed the Student Assessment of their Learning Gains (SALG) standardized self-report questionnaire before and after the activity. Findings show significant improvements in students’ perception of their understanding of the course material, in addition to an increase in their perceived skills, confidence in learned topics and performance of practical tasks. Students reported their motivation to pursue this field as steadily high, albeit not significantly increasing. Although the lack of a control group and only relying on self-report assessments in a restricted sample might limit our conclusions, the arranged practical experience was significantly beneficial for students. Thus, the present case study represents an example of the effectiveness of University-Industry cooperation for higher education.

Keywords:

University-industry Cooperation, Higher Education, Student's Perception Assessment.