Five years of project-based learning training experiences in higher education institutions in Brazil

Implementing Project Based Learning (PBL) is a challenging enterprise both for students and for teachers. PBL demands a changing process in which teaching is about being able to work with other teachers in an environment open to uncertainty, with creativity, improved communication and engagement. Considering the need to support teachers to implement PBL, a group of researchers delivered 19 workshops since 2010 in 16 Higher Education Institutions in Brazil. These workshops were delivered using a PBL approach and most of them had 20 hours of training. This study aims identifying the impact of these workshops and discuss the contribution of staff development strategies to improve engineering teaching practice. The methodological approach carried out for this study was based on an online questionnaire exploring the participants’ perceptions about their experience in the workshop and the impact on their teaching practice using active learning strategies (difficulties, motivations, etc.). The questionnaire was sent to 367 participants’ active email addresses. The findings, from the 67 answers received, point out that 95% of respondents said that the workshops have had an impact on their teaching practice, and in general, they are applying what they have learned in the workshops. The participants’ motivation came from the interest in learning new teaching strategies, sharing experiences, improving student learning, innovating and even just out of curiosity. Concerning to teachers’ training, more than 75% of the respondents’ claimed they have felt the need of pedagogical training at the beginning of their career, and more than 70% stated that they keep on participating in events to improve their professional practice as engineering teachers. It is important to point out all respondents consider important or very important the existence of a professional teachers’ development program in their institutions, and the pedagogical training was highlighted as the most needed, followed by the formation of practice communities and research groups. Based on the participants perceptions it was possible to present a short list of general recommendations for the development of engineering teachers training opportunities.The authors thank the teachers that kindly participated in this research. This work has been partially supported by projects COMPETE-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT-UID-CEC-00319-2013, from Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O currículo da formação em engenharia no âmbito do processo de bolonha: desenvolvimento de competências e perfil profissional na perspetiva dos docentes, dos estudantes e dos profissionais

Tese de Doutoramento em Ciências da Educação (área de especilização em Desenvolvimento Curricular)O desenvolvimento curricular no Ensino Superior coloca um conjunto de questões complexas, mas desafiantes, entre as quais a relação entre a formação inicial e a prática profissional, o desenvolvimento de competências, as implicações curriculares e pedagógicas dos métodos centrados na aprendizagem do aluno, entre outras. Este trabalho de investigação tem como principal objetivo contribuir para a melhoria dos programas de formação inicial na área das Engenharias, Ciências e Tecnologias, particularmente da Engenharia e Gestão Industrial. Para tal, estudou-se um caso em particular (Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial da Universidade do Minho) tendo-se analisado as dimensões da formação inicial, as competências e o perfil profissional, partindo das experiências e expetativas dos alunos, dos professores e dos profissionais. Considerando o objetivo a que nos propusemos, o design da nossa investigação seguiu uma abordagem predominantemente qualitativa, centrado em técnicas e procedimentos de recolha de dados que permitissem um aprofundamento da análise do caso, tais como análise documental, inquéritos por questionário, grupos focais, entrevistas e narrativas. A flexibilidade inerente ao design metodológico possibilitou efetuar uma análise integrada da informação recolhida ao longo de todas as fases, com o objetivo de compreender o caso em estudo como um todo, preservando, assim, a sua unicidade. O modelo de desenvolvimento curricular, elaborado ao longo desta investigação, permitiu fundamentar esta análise, através da relação entre as dimensões centrais deste estudo: perfil profissional, currículo e competências. Dos principais resultados alcançados decorrem pressupostos e implicações que importa considerar no desenvolvimento do currículo no Ensino Superior, nomeadamente no que diz respeito à complexidade e coerência na definição do perfil profissional. Esta dimensão é pouco explícita na conceção, desenvolvimento e avaliação do currículo mas é um referente essencial na concretização das práticas pedagógicas. No que diz respeito ao currículo, a análise dos seus elementos nucleares releva a importância de garantir a coerência entre os objetivos de aprendizagem, as metodologias utilizadas e a avaliação, por exemplo. Para além da coerência entre os elementos do currículo, importa também assegurar a coerência entre o perfil de formação e o perfil profissional. Para tal, o referencial de competências constitui uma vertente fundamental para rever e inovar as dimensões curriculares e pedagógicas, de modo a criar espaços de aprendizagem que permitam ao aluno participar, pesquisar, perguntar, descobrir, envolver-se. A este respeito, os resultados apontam para a relevância das competências transversais e para a necessidade de serem explicitamente formalizadas no currículo. Adicionalmente, as experiências de aprendizagem baseadas em projetos interdisciplinares (PBL) foram amplamente valorizadas pelos participantes, particularmente pelos antigos alunos que reforçam a importância da concretização dos projetos interdisciplinares para a prática profissional, precisamente pela oportunidade de desenvolvimento de competências técnicas e transversais num contexto de resolução de problemas reais. É neste sentido que a interação com as empresas, através da realização de projetos em ambiente industrial, emerge dos dados com particular destaque. Estes resultados remetem para algumas sugestões de investigação futura, particularmente pelas implicações decorrentes ao nível do trabalho docente. Espera-se, assim, desenvolver a aplicação do modelo de desenvolvimento curricular resultante desta investigação, noutras áreas da Engenharia, que pode também servir de referencial teórico e prático para a formação pedagógica de docentes universitários.Curriculum development in Higher Education reveals a number of complex but challenging issues, such as the relation between initial training and future professional practice, the importance of the development of competences, curricular and pedagogical implications of student-centred learning approaches, amongst others. This study aims to contribute to the improvement of initial training in engineering programs, particularly in Industrial Engineering and Management study field. A single case was considered (Industrial Engineering and Management Integrated Master Degree at University of Minho) in which the dimensions of curriculum, competences and professional profile were analysed, taking into account the experiences and expectations from students, teachers and professionals. The methodological design of this study follows a qualitative approach, taking into account methods and procedures to achieve a deeper understanding of the context of the study (document analysis, questionnaires, focus group, interviews and narratives). Thus, the design was flexible enough to provide an integrated analysis of data collected throughout the research process. The curriculum development model used during this study provided a basis for the analysis of the relationship between the key-dimensions of this study: professional profile, curriculum and competences. The results point to a set of implications for curriculum development in Higher Education, particularly with regard to the complexity and consistency of the definition of the professional profile. This dimension is almost invisible in the curriculum design, development and evaluation, but is also essential to develop innovative teaching practices. Regarding the curriculum, the analysis of the core elements stresses the importance of consistency and alignment among the learning outcomes, methodologies and assessment methods. Furthermore, the alignment between curriculum and professional profile is essential for the improvement of teaching and learning practices in Higher Education contexts. Thus, the framework of competences is an added-value to review and to innovate the curriculum and the pedagogical dimensions, in order to create potential learning environments in which students have the opportunity for participating, researching, questioning, discovering and engaging. The results highlight the relevance of transversal competences within the formal curriculum. Furthermore, Project-Based Learning (PBL) experiences were highlighted by the participants, mainly by graduates that reinforce the importance of the development of interdisciplinary projects to improve preparedness for professional practice, by solving real engineering problems. From data the importance of those projects in the industrial context also arises, which reveals the importance of strengthening the cooperation between university and companies. Considering the implications of the findings for teaching practice, some suggestions are presented for future research. The application of the curriculum development model developed in this research to other Engineering areas is one of the expected outcomes of this study, which can also be used as a theoretical and practical framework for pedagogical training of university teachers.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) SFRH/BD/62116/200

Contributos para uma análise dos planos curriculares de formação no ensino superior. O caso da engenharia e gestão industrial em Portugal

A reorganização curricular constituiu uma das mudanças mais significativas no âmbito do Processo de Bolonha. Esta comunicação, que decorre de um projecto de investigação mais vasto, incide na análise dos planos curriculares dos cursos de Engenharia e Gestão Industrial em Portugal. Partindo dos planos curriculares de três cursos, analisam-se os ciclos de estudo / distribuição de ECTS, as questões da diversidade curricular e da componente prática do currículo, bem como o perfil profissional / competências técnicas. A análise do currículo da formação implica aspectos que vão para além da sua estrutura e organização, incluindo o estudo das práticas curriculares se se pretende estudar as mudanças efectivamente ocorridas no âmbito do processo de Bolonha

The role of project-based learning in engineering curriculum: the case of the industrial engineering and management program at the University of Minho

One of the key questions arising from literature in Higher Education is the mismatch between curriculum and professional practice. This work presents an analysis of an engineering program, based on a model of curriculum development that includes three dimensions: professional profile, curriculum elements and framework of competences. These dimensions were considered in the methodological approach that involves a case study of the Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) program at the University of Minho, Portugal. Data were collected through a combination of methods, including a survey, narratives, interviews and focus group. The aim was to get to know the perceptions of students and teachers of IEM program and professionals working in this engineering field. The findings highlight the relevance of projectbased learning within the engineering curriculum in so far as it provides students with opportunities to develop both technical and transversal competences related to their professional practice. This implies developing learning situations in which it is possible to solve engineering problems, linking theory and practice based upon an interdisciplinary approach. Furthermore, the implementation of project-based learning have implications for curriculum development, namely in regard to the definition of the assessment (e.g. milestones, feedback, etc.), coordination and communication between the faculty, content selection according to the problem to be solved, amongst other issues with impact in teaching practice.CIEC - Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança, IE, UMinho (UI 317 da FCT), PortugalFundos Nacionais através da FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) e cofinanciado pelo Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) através do COMPETE 2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) com a referência POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007562info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Changing an engineering curriculum through a co-construction process: A case study

The objective of this work is to present a co-construction process of an Engineering curriculum, which used different active learning approaches to motivate students by addressing realistic problems faced by engineers, right from the beginning of the program. Idealized by the rectory of the institution, in a top-down decision, the new curriculum established certain guidelines for these new approaches. In a bottom-up contribution to the curriculum, teachers had to devise, implement and conduct activities. At an early stage, these activities were classified into three types: Projects, Engineering Practices, and Workshops. To analyze the implementation of this new curriculum, a qualitative approach was used during and data were collected through interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires. The results indicate that teachers who devised the activities played an important role in determining several aspects aimed at formalizing the new curriculum in a co-construction process, increasing the accuracy of the ideas presented in the idealization phase. Despite the benefits of these experiences, the results suggest that the potential of the new curriculum was not entirely fulfilled at this initial phase, particularly regarding the development of soft skills. Therefore, adjustments are needed to take full advantage of the changes.The authors thank all teachers and students whokindly participated in this research.This work was partially supported by projects COMPETE-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT-UID-CEC-00319-2013, from Portuga

Teachers' and students' perspectives about curriculum development in engineering education: Implications for academic work

This study had the financial support of Research Centres ALGORITMI and CIEC, by the Strategic Project UID-CEC-00319-2013and UID-CED-00317-2013, through the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) Portuguese National Funds, and projects POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007562, by European Regional Development Funds (FEDER) through the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program (POCI).ICCS - International Council for Canadian Studies (UID-CEC-00319-2013

Developing professional competencies through projects in interaction with companies : a study in Industrial Engineering and Management Master Degree

This paper draws upon a part of a research project aiming to analyze curricula elements and competencies related to professional practice, in order to contribute to the improvement of the quality of the training program in engineering courses. Data were collected through a general survey to students, teachers and professionals. This paper focus on professionals’ perspectives and the results show the relevance that PBL experiences assumed in professional situations. Four main topics emerged from data, were analyzed, and discussed, namely technical competencies, transversal competencies, curriculum organization and interaction with companies. The results of the professionals’ survey point to the relevance of PBL experiences in professional situations. The findings also highlight the importance of project-learning approach for the quality of engineering curriculum and the development of both technical and transversal competencies.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Project approaches in interaction with industry for the development of professional competences

The engineering education involves the development of professional competences. For this purpose, it is necessary to understand the specific engineering field and to identify the specific professional needs of future engineers. Further, it is important to develop the adequate educational approaches that will foster the development of these competences. This paper aims to contribute to identifying the education needs in the field of Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) based on the professionals perspectives, articulated with internship students and a group of university teachers. It also aims to reflect on two cases of interdisciplinary project approaches of the IEM program at the University of Minho, Portugal, which directly involves the interaction with industrial companies. One of the cases involves courses of semester seven of the IEM program and the other involves four different engineering programs. The triangulation of data from interviews with professionals, focus groups with university teachers and narratives from internship students contributed to identifying competence needs and the contribution of project-based learning in articulation with companies for students’ professional competences development. The analysis of professional needs points to the importance of practicing the professional practice at the level of education and training. Furthermore, the reflection on the results also stresses the relevance of these kinds of approach from the point of view of all the stakeholders, namely students, university teachers and professionals.(undefined

People competence assessment based on project management scenarios

Scenario-based assessment makes it possible to represent situations related to professional project management practices and, in this sense, allows the assessment of competences in contexts inspired by professional environments. From the point of view of project management competences, the Individual Competences Baseline (ICB) describes the competences required for individuals who work in the field. This framework shows, besides other competences, the 10 (ten) competences focused on people, namely: introspection and personal management; personal integrity and reliability; personal communication; leadership; teamwork; relationships and engagement; resourcefulness; conflict and crisis; negotiation and results orientation. This study aims to analyze the process of assessment of competences based on Project Management scenarios, in the context of the Engineering field. This study was based on an experimental process and involved Professors and Professionals in the Project Management area. As a result, an assessment of competences was obtained through dynamic, interactive scenarios, which promotes reflection and is aligned with professional project management practices. Another result points to the potentiality of applying scenarios, as a complementary strategy to traditional assessments. For future work, it is suggested to develop scenarios that can assess the other competences required by individuals who work in project management.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio