TEACHING METHODOLOGY TO ACCEPT PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN BUILDING STRUCTURES DESIGN

In technical disciplines, there is a real fear to take responsibility for the exercise of the profession. This article describes a step forward in pedagogy, also addressing this fear. The way that we detected this fear is based on conversations with graduates and a satisfaction survey of the Architect title. The cause of the appearance of fear is largely due to the real complexity of contents. We have developed a methodology that has four basic steps. First we frame the problem so that students understand we are going to analyze in general terms. The second step is to model the problem using software applications that help us to perform more complex calculations and offer us some great viewing options. Later we accomplish a theoretical exposition. At this point the student is better able to understand the theoretical complexity. And finally, we must check the validity of the design. After explaining the methodology in general, we exemplify it with our subject: Calculation of Building Structures. Our intention is to evaluate the increased confidence of graduates using this methodology. The study of effectiveness was performed in two groups of students through specific surveys. Students are able to take better theoretical development after framing or abstracting the essence of the problem. The results’ display via computer provides a great amount of information that helps them better understand how a structure works. Through this innovative methodology the student, future professional, loses the majority of fear.