Abstract:

The traditional teaching methodology in Engineering is based on masterclass lessons, and practical lessons. In the latter, the teacher solves several problems on the blackboard, while the students copy them in their notebook. Due to that reason, students are taught to solve problems following a direct application of theory, without thinking about it, nor making the right assumptions, nor carrying out a qualitative analysis. This methodology makes the students to take the exam more than one time to pass it. Applying the Guided Problem Solving (GPS) methodology, the aim is to motivate students to make their brains work out when approaching these problems.

This work presents the GPS methodology implementation adapted to the third course subject called Thermotechnics. The subject content can be divided in three sections, depending on the mechanism of heat transfer: conduction, convection and radiation. Therefore, a GPS problem is proposed to do at the end of each section, so that students’ competences and learning results can be analysed before the written test while students are stimulated to work by critical thinking. The academic results were analysed from 2019/2020, the year in which GPS implementation began, until 2021/2022 among experimental groups. In some of the groups, the GPS methodology was applied, and in the others, a traditional teaching methodology was followed. Additionally, the students’ behaviour and answer to the use of this kind of methodology is discussed.

Thermotechnics subject is taught on the Degree of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering to several groups in different languages. The former has three groups in Spanish, two groups in Basque and one group in English, with an average of 230 students per year. The latter has one group in Spanish and one in Basque, with an average of 50 students per year. The GPS problems were implemented in three groups of the Degree of Mechanical Engineering, and one group of the Degree in Industrial Engineering.

Keywords:

Higher education, GPS, education Innovation, engineering.