Abstract:

In postgraduate university settings, the Service-Learning (S-L) methodology is an extremely valuable experience, as it integrates academic training and social commitment in equal measure among students. In this way, students delve deeper into the content of their discipline, as is customary in master's programmes, and, in turn, apply the knowledge they have acquired to real-life practical situations that have a positive impact on their environment. This methodological strategy promotes the acquisition of basic skills and the development of cross-cutting skills—such as critical thinking, social responsibility, collaborative work, and problem-solving—that are essential for their future job performance.

The "Hackeando el Aire" (Hacking the Air) project arose in response to various needs identified among young people in the Community of Madrid, especially among students in Basic Vocational Training (BVT) and Intermediate Vocational Training (IVT) programmes. These needs include low academic motivation, a lack of connection between scientific and technological content and its application in real life, and limited environmental awareness. Added to this are problems with air quality and environmental comfort in educational centres, factors that directly influence the well-being and performance of students. Using the S-L methodology, the project aims to transform these needs into meaningful learning opportunities, integrating technology, sustainability and social commitment.

The main objective of the project is to encourage STEAM vocations in young people through practical and contextualised experiences that demonstrate the social utility of science and technology. At the same time, it aims to improve educational environments by monitoring air quality in classrooms and developing technical proposals to promote healthier school spaces. The practical experience carried out consists of monitoring the environmental quality of classrooms within a school in the Community of Madrid. To achieve this, vocational training students, guided by their teachers and with external support from university master’s students, carry out the programming and data collection in their environment. In this way, not only is teamwork encouraged, but content from subjects such as electronics, programming, and analysis is directly addressed, offering an opportunity to apply the concepts acquired in a real and familiar setting.

The results show that it is feasible to carry out this type of experience over the course of an academic semester and that competency-based work is rewarding for students. Moreover, thanks to the results obtained, it is possible to propose solutions to improve air quality in educational environments and strengthen the sense of belonging to the institution among the students involved in the project. Likewise, this work outlines the guidelines followed for the planning of the project, the design of the experience, and its scheduling. In addition, through the training plan implemented, expert-led sessions, and both in-person and online tutoring, an increase in student motivation and an improvement in the quality of teaching have been observed, fostering the scientific vocation of young vocational training students. Overall, the aim is to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing this type of educational innovation in university settings.

Keywords:

Service-Learning (S-L), vocational training, STEAM, motivation, healthy educational spaces.