Abstract:

During the last years, the Chemical Engineering Degree of the University of Castilla-La Mancha has participated in an Educative Innovation Project with the objective of improving the adaptation of the actual undergraduate degree program to the EHEA. So, in the academic year 2006/07 it was started a pilot experience in the subjects of the first course of the degree, and it has been sequentially extended to following subjects. In fact, during the academic year 2008/09 it has been completed the adaptation of the first cycle of the degree (3 of the 5 academic years) to the EHEA. In this context, this work is focussed on the acquired experience in the subject Initiation to Chemical Engineering (4 ECTS, core subject, 1st semester, 40-60 students). The program of the activities carried out in this subject has been coordinated both with the rest of subjects of the first degree-year and with the following subjects of the chemical engineering studies.

The main goal of this work has been that the student achieves the programmed competences and abilities carrying out different theoretical and practical activities. These activities have tried to introduce the students in their self-learning. However, as this subject is given in the first semester of the degree, the role of the teachers has been very significant as they must supervise the work of the students. Thus, the 40% of the ECTS credits consists of the work of the student with the teacher presence, whereas 60 % is self-learning of the student. To do this, the following activities supervised by the teacher have been carried out: lectures (25 hours), seminars and practical lessons guided by the teacher (11 hours), and others learning activities based on method case (4 hours).

For the lectures, it was worked with the whole student group (around 60 students and 1 teacher). Conversely, in the case of seminars, the total group of students was divided in sub-groups of 30 students approximately. This has allowed a better supervision of the individual labour of each student. Likewise, for the learning activities based on method case, it has been worked with smaller groups (around 10 students supervised by 3 teachers). During these sessions, the students face a real situation and this helps them to consolidate the theoretical knowledge acquired in the lectures and to promote the competences and abilities of the chemical engineer profession.

In this context, the students are marked taking into account the following items: active participation in seminars and learning activities based on method case (20 %), the resolution of exercise (20 %), and the mark obtained in the tests (60 %).

Based on the acquired experience, it can be pointed that the students have assiduously attended to lectures and practical lessons (90 %), and that they have collaborate actively in both seminars and learning activities based on method case. Likewise, a great number of students have passed this subject with good marks.

Keywords:

innovation, teaching projects, chemical engineering.