A learning tool to develop sustainable projects

This paper presents a tool developed to help engineers to design and develop sustainable projects. The tool has been designed to introduce and evaluate the sustainability of engineering projects in general, but here we show its application to assess the final project of an engineering degree. This tool is a guide for students to introduce and estimate the sustainability of their projects, but it also helps teachers to assess them. The tool is based on the Socratic Methodology and consists of a matrix where each cell contains several questions that students must consider during the project development and which they must answer in their project report. A positive or negative mark is assigned to every cell, and the sum of all marks states the project sustainability. However, the result is not as simplistic as a final number, but a descriptive sustainability analysis where questions are answered and every mark justified. A pilot test with some students has obtained good results, but the first Final Degree Project using this methodology will be read in July 2016.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

A methodology to introduce sustainability into the Final Year Project to foster sustainable engineering projects

The introduction of sustainability skills into higher education curricula is a natural effect of the increasing importance of sustainability in our daily lives. Topics like green computing, sustainable design or environmental engineering have become part of the knowledge required by today’s engineers. Furthermore, we strongly believe that the introduction of this skill will eventually enable future engineers to develop sustainable products, services and projects. The Final Year Project is the last academic stage facing students and a step towards their future professional engineering projects. As such, it constitutes a rehearsal for their professional future and an ideal opportunity for reflecting on whether their Final Year Project is sustainable or not, and to what extent. It also provides a good tool for reviewing the lessons learned about sustainability during the degree course and for applying them in a holistic and integrated way. In this paper, we present a guide that allows both students and advisors to think carefully about the sustainability of engineering projects, in particular the Final Year Project.Postprint (author’s final draft

Preguntas para guiar el Trabajo de Fin de Grado

Los Trabajos de Fin de Grado (TFG) deben ser evaluados en términos de competencias. Durante sus estudios de grado, el alumno habrá trabajado las competencias técnicas relacionadas con la carrera que estudia y un conjunto de competencias transversales. Algunas de estas competencias serán evaluadas en el TFG. Todos los TFG son diferentes y es difícil, por no decir imposible, establecer un modelo único de evaluación de competencias que sirva para todos. Además, se corre el riesgo de que si se establece un modelo el alumno tienda a seguirlo a rajatabla, sin plantearse que es sólo un modelo y que tal vez su TFG debería tener un planteamiento distinto. En este trabajo se propone una forma de afrontar este problema. En lugar de definir un modelo de TFG, se propone establecer un conjunto de preguntas que inviten al estudiante a reflexionar sobre la forma de afrontar el trabajo. Contestar a estas preguntas fomenta la iniciativa del estudiante y le impulsa a tomar decisiones importantes, de forma crítica y meditada, sobre la propia organización del TFG y la forma de abordarlo, guiándole durante la realización del proyecto. Con esta táctica se aumenta la capacidad crítica del estudiante y se consigue que los TFG se adapten mejor a las necesidades del problema definido, huyendo de estándares establecidos. Este trabajo ha sido desarrollado por miembros del grupo RIMA-VISCA de la UPCBarcelonaTECH en el contexto de un proyecto para definir cómo debe ser el informe de sostenibilidad de un TFG.SUMMARY -- The Bachelor Degree Project of an Engineering Degree should be evaluated in terms of skills. Throughout the academic period, the student will develop the technical skills related to the professional field of his or her degree as well as a set of professional skills. Some of these skills will be evaluated in the final degree project. All projects are different and, therefore, it is difficult, if not impossible, to establish a unique model of skills assessment that fits all types of project. In addition, there is a risk that, if a project model was proposed, the student would probably tend to follow strictly the pattern, without considering that perhaps the project should have a different approach. In this work, we propose a way to tackle this problem. Instead of defining a project model, we provide a series of questions that encourages the student to think about how to deal with it. Answering to these questions fosters the student initiative and helps him to take major decisions, critically and thoughtful, about how to approach and organize the project, and guides the student during its implementation. This strategy increases the critical thinking of the student and ensures that projects suit better into the requirements of the defined problem, escaping from the restrictive standards. This work has been developed by members of the UPC-BarcelonaTECH RIMA-VISCA group in the context of a project to define the sustainability report in a Bachelor Degree Project.Peer Reviewe

De la teoría a la práctica: cinco años después de la integración de la competencia genérica de sostenibilidad en el Grado en Ingeniería Informática

La sostenibilidad es una de las competencias transversales básicas que todo ingeniero debería adquirir durante su formación. De hecho, seguir desarrollando ciencia y tecnología de espaldas a la sostenibilidad provocaría en poco tiempo un colapso de nuestro planeta. La puesta en marcha del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES) ha propiciado una oportunidad única para replantearse diferentes aspectos educativos, entre los cuales destaca la inclusión de esta competencia en los planes de estudio. Existe literatura abundante sobre estrategias y propuestas teóricas para incluir esta competencia en las ingenierías. Sin embargo, pocos trabajos han sido llevados a cabo desde una perspectiva más práctica. La Facultat de Informàtica de Barcelona (FIB) posee amplia experiencia en el diseño de titulaciones adaptadas al EEES y ha integrado la sostenibilidad en su plan de estudios de Grado en Ingeniería Informática. En este trabajo se revisa el proceso de diseño del plan de estudios de Grado en Ingeniería Informática de la FIB, aprobado en el año 2009, y se analiza la experiencia de integración de la sostenibilidad tras cinco años de funcionamiento del grado. Se comentan los mecanismos de organización y coordinación entre las asignaturas implicadas y, finalmente, se extraen las lecciones aprendidas.SUMMARY -- Sustainability is one of the basic professional skills that every engineer should incorporate during their training. In fact, developing science and technology without sustainability criteria would collapse our planet. The launching of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has provided a unique opportunity to rethink different educational aspects, including the integration of this skill into the curriculum. Abundant literature exists on strategies and theoretical proposals to include this skill into engineering. However, few studies have been done from a more practical perspective. The Barcelona School of Informatics (FIB) has wide experience in the design of degrees according to the EHEA, and has integrated sustainability into the Informatics Engineering degree. This paper reviews the process of the design of the FIB’s Informatics Engineering degree curriculum, approved in 2009, and analyses the experience of sustainability integration after five years. The organizational and coordination mechanisms between the subjects are discussed, and finally the lessons learnt are extracted

Profile of the participants in a STEAM lecturer-training program based on competencies. Lessons for the future

This paper presents the results of a research study on the profile of the participants in a postgraduate lecturer training program (15 ECTS) based on competencies in a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) University. The study research questions are: (1) "In which competences do the participants perceive a personal improvement during the programme?", and (2) "Can we identify a profile of the candidates most suited to take better advantage of the training?" . The study includes current participants and students who have completed the program in the last 5 years. A mixed research methodology was used including both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Data from the program alumni and current candidates have been quantitatively analyzed to identify common personal and background features among them. Structured interviews and focus groups have been conducted to find out how their initial expectations matched with their perception of what was offered in the program. The qualitative interviews include a discussion about their experiences along the programme and their ambitions for their further professional development, and put in context with their specific background. This research has important implications for the future, such as the need for increased training in digital skills. The majority of the teachers surveyed have a positive impression of the training and are in the middle of their careers. However, because of the pressure to satisfy other Academia requirements, many potential applicants in their early career stages do not complete or even contemplate participating in the programObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de QualitatPostprint (published version

La Sostenibilidad en los proyectos de ingeniería

El Trabajo de Fin de Grado representa la última prueba para que el estudiante de grado demuestre que está preparado para ejercer como ingeniero, elaborando y defendiendo un proyecto de envergadura. El proyecto debe cumplir todos los requisitos que se exigen a un proyecto de ingeniería, desde el análisis del problema hasta la presentación de una solución. Los autores del presente trabajo pensamos que todo proyecto de ingeniería debe incorporar un informe de sostenibilidad que demuestre que el proyecto es sostenible en los ámbitos social, ambiental y económico. Existe poca experiencia en este tema, tanto en la empresa como en la universidad, ya que las empresas (algunas) hace pocos años que han incorporado la sostenibilidad como uno de los criterios de realización de sus proyectos y las universidades apenas han comenzado a trabajar en esa dirección. En este trabajo se presentan algunas reflexiones sobre cómo debería ser tratada la sostenibilidad en un proyecto de ingeniería, y en particular cómo se pueden aplicar estas ideas al Trabajo de Fin de Grado.SUMMARY -- The Final Degree Work represents the last test for the students to demonstrate they are ready to practice as engineer, developing and defending a major project. The project must meet all requirements demanded on an engineering project, from the problem analysis to the presentation of one solution. The authors of this paper believe that every engineering project must include a sustainability report which demonstrates that the project is sustainable in the social, environmental and economic scopes. There is little experience in this subject, either in enterprises or in universities, as only few companies have recently incorporated sustainability as one of their criteria for developing their projects, and the universities have hardly begun working in that direction. This paper presents some thoughts about how sustainability should be addressed in an engineering project and, in particular, how these ideas should be applied to the Final Degree Work

The effect of the Covid-19 epidemic on the self-perception of training needs in STEAM lecturers

This work in progress research-to-practice paper presents the initial results of a study carried out at our university among lecturers, aimed at determining how the perception of training needs have changed due to the pandemic, and if this change can be used to increase enrollment in the university training program. Pedagogical training of university lecturers has usually been a self-training process guided by their own beliefs about what good teaching is, and the self-perception of one’s own strengths and weaknesses with respect to teaching. The COVID-19 pandemic shook the world in many ways, but it also challenged lecturers about their own convictions regarding educational methodologies, evaluation and their own approach to teaching, so it is a great opportunity for change.Peer ReviewedObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::4 - Educació de QualitatPostprint (author's final draft

Guía del estudiante para elaborar el informe de sostenibilidad del TFG

Este artículo presenta una guía para ayudar a los ingenieros a diseñar y desarrollar proyectos sostenibles. Esta guía es la culminación de siete años de trabajos publicados en JENUI. La guía ha sido diseñada para introducir y evaluar la sostenibilidad de los proyectos de ingeniería en general, pero en este trabajo se presenta su aplicación al Trabajo Final de Grado. Esta herramienta no es simplemente una guía para ayudar a los estudiantes a introducir y estimar la sostenibilidad de sus proyectos, sino que también es útil para ayudar a los profesores a realizar la evaluación. La guía se basa en el método socrático y consiste en una matriz en la que cada celda contiene varias preguntas que los estudiantes deben considerar durante el desarrollo del proyecto, y a las que deben responder en el informe final. A cada celda de la matriz se le otorga una valoración, y la suma de todos los valores refleja la sostenibilidad del proyecto. El resultado no es simplemente un número, ya que el estudiante debe escribir un análisis de sostenibilidad en el que responde a todas las preguntas de la matriz de forma justificada. Se ha realizado una prueba piloto con algunos estudiantes y se han obtenido buenos resultados, pero el primer Trabajo Final de Grado que usará la metodología propuesta se leerá en julio de 2016.This paper presents a guide to help engineers to design and develop sustainable projects. The guide is the culmination of previous studies published over the last seven years in JENUI. The guide has been designed to introduce and evaluate the sustainability of engineering projects in general, but here we pre-sent how it can be applied to the final project of an engineering degree. This tool is a guide for students. to introduce and estimate the sustainability of their projects, but it also helps teachers to assess them. The guide is based on the Socratic Methodology and consists of a matrix where each cell contains several questions that students must consider during the project development and which they must answer in their project report. A positive or negative mark is assigned to every cell, and the sum of all marks states the project sustainability. However, the result is not as simplistic as a final number, but a descriptive sustainability analysis where all questions are answered and every mark justified. A pilot test with some students has obtained good results, but the first Final Degree Project using the proposed methodology will be read in July 2016

El método socrático como guía del trabajo de fin de grado

En el marco del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES) se espera que, durante sus estudios de Grado, un estudiante adquiera las competencias técnicas/específicas relacionadas con la carrera que estudia y, además, trabaje un conjunto de competencias transversales/genéricas. La mayoría de estas competencias serán evaluadas en el Trabajo Fin de Grado (TFG). Todos los TFG son diferentes y es difícil, por no decir imposible, establecer un modelo único de proyecto que sirva para todos. Además, se corre el riesgo de que si se establece un modelo único el alumno tienda a seguirlo de manera estricta, sin plantearse que debe considerarlo sólo como una guía y que tal vez su TFG debería tener un planteamiento distinto. En este trabajo se propone una posible solución para este problema. En lugar de definir un modelo único de TFG, se propone seguir el método socrático, estableciendo un conjunto de preguntas que inviten al estudiante a reflexionar sobre la forma de afrontar su proyecto. Reflexionar sobre estas preguntas debe fomentar la iniciativa del estudiante y ayudarle a tomar decisiones importantes, de forma crítica y meditada, sobre la propia organización del TFG y la forma de abordarlo e implementarlo. Con esta táctica se aumenta la capacidad crítica del estudiante y se consigue que los TFG se adapten mejor a las necesidades del proyecto concreto, huyendo de estándares preestablecidos.Postprint (published version

Evaluation and assessment of professional skills in the Final Year Project

In this paper, we present a methodology for Final Year Project (FYP) monitoring and assessment that considers the inclusion of the professional skills required in the particular engineering degree. This proper monitoring and clear evaluation framework provides the student with valuable support for the project implementation as well as for improving the quality of the projects, thereby reducing the academic drop-out rate. The proposed methodology has been implemented at the Barcelona School of Informatics at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech. The FYP is structured around three milestones: project definition, project monitoring and project completion. Skills are assigned to each milestone according to the tasks required in that phase, and a list of indicators is defined for each phase. The evaluation criteria for each indicator at each phase are specified in a rubric, and are made public both to students and teachers. Thus, the FYP includes an exhaustive evaluation method distributed throughout the whole project implementation, thereby facilitating project organization for the student as well as providing a clear and homogeneous assessment framework. The methodology for the FYP organization, assessment and evaluation was launched and piloted over two semesters. We believe the experience to be general in the sense that it has been conducted as part of an ICT engineering degree, but may easily be extended to any other engineering degree.Postprint (author’s final draft