Abstract:

Project Based Learning (PBL) is framed within active methodologies that have the student as the main agent of the teaching-learning process. Through the application of this pedagogical tool, learning occurs as a result of the efforts made by students to carry out the completion of a project that is part of one or more subjects. It is a contextualized teaching in real problems that the student will face in the future. This means that the final task of the process ends with a potentially valuable product that allows, especially engineering students, to visualize its technical utility and the relationship it has with their future professional performance.

Thus, it is a methodology that provides higher doses of motivation to college students by showing them what they will be able to do with the concepts they have been taught, improving the attendance rate and making easier to manage and organize the work inside and outside the class. However, there are also difficulties that arise from the application of this methodology since for its correct development it must integrate different transversal skills that are not always easy to work on: autonomous learning, communication, conflict resolution, teamwork, etc. The educational model is modified, starting to give to the student the information in the just in time model (when they really need it), instead of the traditional just in case model (all the information at the beginning and will be used in the future).

This philosophical change in teaching implies that long-term activities are now required to make PBL work. no more than 4-5 people should belong to the same workgroup. This is a common problem in classrooms with more than 50 students. Traditional master class and final exams with all the contents of the subject would move into the background since now we emphasize final product and workgroup plan.

This paper shows the steps to develop the planification of an engineer subject by using Project-Based Learning. It is intended to entitle the teachers with these necessary tools to carry on this active methodology. It is also necessary to considerate the advantages and disadvantages that can arise, as well as his assessment and breadth. It is an interdisciplinary proposal that unify the concepts taken from different subjects, making them work together. This will help with the organisation of learning hours in ECTS credits.

Keywords:

Educative innovation, Project-Based Learning (PBL), autonomy, active methodologies.