A new way of teaching different subjects in a foreign language in the Building Engineering Degree at the Universidad Politécnica.

The European Union has been promoting linguistic diversity for many years as one of its main educational goals. This is an element that facilitates student mobility and student exchanges between different universities and countries and enriches the education of young undergraduates. In particular, a higher degree of competence in the English language is becoming essential for engineers, architects and researchers in general, as English has become the lingua franca that opens up horizons to internationalisation and the transfer of knowledge in today’s world. Many experts point to the Integrated Approach to Contents and Foreign Languages System as being an option that has certain benefits over the traditional method of teaching a second language that is exclusively based on specific subjects. This system advocates teaching the different subjects in the syllabus in a language other than one’s mother tongue, without prioritising knowledge of the language over the subject. This was the idea that in the 2009/10 academic year gave rise to the Second Language Integration Programme (SLI Programme) at the Escuela Arquitectura Técnica in the Universidad Politécnica Madrid (EUATM-UPM), just at the beginning of the tuition of the new Building Engineering Degree, which had been adapted to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) model. This programme is an interdisciplinary initiative for the set of subjects taught during the semester and is coordinated through the Assistant Director Office for Educational Innovation. The SLI Programme has a dual goal; to familiarise students with the specific English terminology of the subject being taught, and at the same time improve their communication skills in English. A total of thirty lecturers are taking part in the teaching of eleven first year subjects and twelve in the second year, with around 120 students who have voluntarily enrolled in a special group in each semester. During the 2010/2011 academic year the degree of acceptance and the results of the SLI Programme have been monitored. Tools have been designed to aid interdisciplinary coordination and to analyse satisfaction, such as coordination records and surveys. The results currently available refer to the first and second year and are divided into specific aspects of the different subjects involved and into general aspects of the ongoing experience

From spiral to helical stairs: Santa Cruz la Real and Santiago Apóstol approaches

In the late 15th and the early 16th centuries different styles coexisted in Spain. Amongst them, the predominant one was the late Gothic Architecture. This paper focuses on the helical staircase as one of the more representative elements of this style. It analyses the geometric and constructive configuration of (i) the stair located in the church apse of the Monasterio de Santa Cruz la Real in Segovia and (ii) the one located in the tower of Santiago Apóstol Church in Villa del Prado. As will be shown, both are examples of seemingly intermediate steps between the spiral and the helical staircases. Our purpose, is to contribute to the knowledge about the way this type of circular staircases were built and gain a better understanding of the process followed by the stonemasonry masters. Both aspects are essential to provide a solid foundation for the preservation of this type of Heritage

Morteros no tradicionales en la construcción arquitectónica

We intend to make a detailed study about such a simple material like mortar, but really important in building industry. The final aim is to develop a new kind of mortar from easily available admixtures that can be widely used. That mortar would pass all possible tests in order to prove its proper features for construction. It would be done against a standar mortar and another ones, allowing us a wide reference to obtain more accurate results.Se pretende realizar un estudio detallado de un material tan sencillo como el mortero, pero no por ello menos importante, así como también conseguir mejorar sus propiedades por medio de un aditivo que sea sencillo de encontrar en el mercado, de forma que no sean necesarios conocimientos especiales para su uso. Con el nuevo mortero obtenido realizaremos todos los ensayos que estén en nuestra mano, tanto de él como de un mortero tipo, así como de otros materiales semejantes que existan en el mercado y que nos sirvan de pauta en la comparación de propiedades con el nuevo mortero que sea obtenido. De esta forma podremos saber si este mortero puede ser de utilidad en el campo de la Construcción

Integrated approach to foreign language in the building engineering degree at the Universidad Politécnica Madrid

The European Union has been promoting linguistic diversity for many years as one of its main educational goals. This is an element that facilitates student mobility and student exchanges between different universities and countries and enriches the education of young undergraduates. In particular,a higher degree of competence in the English language is becoming essential for engineers, architects and researchers in general, as English has become the lingua franca that opens up horizons to internationalisation and the transfer of knowledge in today’s world. Many experts point to the Integrated Approach to Contents and Foreign Languages System as being an option that has certain benefits over the traditional method of teaching a second language that is exclusively based on specific subjects. This system advocates teaching the different subjects in the syllabus in a language other than one’s mother tongue, without prioritising knowledge of the language over the subject. This was the idea that in the 2009/10 academic year gave rise to the Second Language Integration Programme (SLI Programme) at the Escuela Arquitectura Tecnica in the Universidad Politecnica Madrid (EUATM-UPM), just at the beginning of the tuition of the new Building Engineering Degree, which had been adapted to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) model. This programme is an interdisciplinary initiative for the set of subjects taught during the semester and is coordinated through the Assistant Director Office for Educational Innovation. The SLI Programme has a dual goal; to familiarise students with the specific English terminology of the subject being taught, and at the same time improve their communication skills in English. A total of thirty lecturers are taking part in the teaching of eleven first year subjects and twelve in the second year, with around 120 students who have voluntarily enrolled in a special group in each semester. During the 2010/2011 academic year the degree of acceptance and the results of the SLI Programme are being monitored. Tools have been designed to aid interdisciplinary coordination and to analyse satisfaction, such as coordination records and surveys. The results currently available refer to the first semester of the year and are divided into specific aspects of the different subjects involved and into general aspects of the ongoing experience

BIM and 3D impression

This research is the result of work carried out by the PIE-DIBARQ Group of Educational Innovation ETSEM-UPM during the 2016-2017 courses in its effort to implement a methodology adapted to the new requirements of European Convergence in Higher Education through the use of new technologies and the introduction to them for the students. Nowadays we are not only teaching conventional techniques, but they´re trying, at least experimentally, to show each student more innovative ways in Architectural Representation. This is the case of the use of computers, and the new language BIM. We are not only referring to the computer-assisted instruction, where the teacher is developing several experimental units as fixing the theoretical concepts taught, but also to the use and knowledge of the computer as an element used by the professional as a graphic expression of their ideas, or studies. Although the concept of 3D printer has its origin in the 80’s it is now taking more and more strength, and it is already starting to be used in many industries. The future of 3D printers is promising and from 2014 we begun to be more familiar with them and for sure we will get better printer with a lower prices. The 3D printer is considered by the European Space Agency (ESA) as a pioneering invention of the Third Industrial Revolution, as the steam engine and the internal combustion engine were once. The ability to print anything we have in our computer modelling before is a real change in our conception of production, being classified by experts as disruptive technology more powerful than the Internet itself. If it was possible to print parts for spaceships, food and even human organs, the range of possibilities expands the conception of a giant 3D printer in 24 hours can build a house of more than 200 square meters. Although this is the future of printing the truth it is that when one starts to learn seriously about a 3D printer, discovers with some frustration that the information accessible is rather fanciful. Much is written about the potential of these machines, and we found images of beautiful sculptures of impossible shapes, jewellery or accessories that seem to be taken from a workshop of professional jewellery. In this paper we will see the problems and resolution of the 3D printing in Architecture

Study of graphene dispersions in sodium dodecylsulfate by steady-state fluorescence of pyrene

Hypothesis: Aqueous solutions of ionic surfactants allow the exfoliation of graphene, that can be explained considering the adsorption model of ionic surfactants to hydrophobic surfaces. For many years, pyrene has been used as a fluorescent probe because its sensitivity to the micro-environment. The study of pyrene fluorescence in the presence of different graphene dispersions in an ionic surfactant, would improve the knowledge of the graphene-surfactant interactions.Experiments: Different dispersions of graphene in sodium dodecylsulfate were prepared at different weight ratios 0.5, 1 and 2%. The dispersions have been studied by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The influence of the dispersions on the pyrene fluorescence has been investigated.Findings: The graphene sheets modified by the surfactant quench the fluorescence of pyrene, which depends on the amount of graphene, the concentration of surfactant and the weight ratio. For surfactant concentrations below the critical micelle concentration, the quenching effect is higher as the weight ratio increases. Once this concentration is reached, the fluorescence increases slightly and then levels off. This behavior has been explained by the adsorption model. For a constant surfactant concentration, twostraight lines can be observed in the Stern-Volmer plots whose cut-off point is approximately 20 mg L-1 of graphene.Ministerio de Economía y CompetitividadUniversidad de Alcal

The architectural drawing: a method of building analysis, a study of unique buildings

The aim of this educational innovation project is the study of the interesting building. In this case the exercises are focused in those similar tasks being currently performed by professionals. The detailed study of a building makes easier the understanding of it, as well as to analyze the building in all its dimensions. First of all, an initial assessment about knowledge and skills of the new students will be performed for the purpose of achieving an optimal adaptation. 1.-The Goals are: Study and analysis of interesting buildings ; Building as a study element for the future professionals in Building ; Analysis of the building elements like educational models, and documentation to be issued for educational purposes. 2. Description of the project and outcome phases Actions: An architectural survey (elevations and sections) of the Unique buildings will be produced ; - The selected buildings will be a nalyzed by producing the plans. Our plan is to use these types of activities to make the students perform similar works to those performed by professionals. In order to encourage the student s to participate in the educational process the following activities are proposed: a) With the aim students can get a better understanding on their achievements we address: - To do a self assessment; -To evaluate the exercises of other mates; -To comment corrections in public presentations; b) To motivate students for documenting the different topics of the subject program ; c) To identify practical exercises; d) To produce practical exercises; e) To increase the awareness of the students at the required exigency level as well as to be aware of their own failures; f) To gain a clear view of the objectives; g) To get a higher level of involvement and participation by the students; h) To acquire skills on finding and selecting, with valuable criteria the useful sources of information; i) To propose the elaboration of a monographic work to be realized in a team of students; j) To computerize the studied models for their publication in the existing educational platforms for the students. A subsequent application of them in the learning program of the Architectural Drawing I and II subjects ; k) To produce open information repositories to be available in the educational platforms. 3. Expected results: To improve and promote the team work in order to increase the exchange of knowledge’s and promote the integration of students in their future professional life. Incorporation of new t echnologies in the learning by: Applying new educational and assessment methodologies to be applied to the students and their works. We intend to continue progressing towards the convergence to the European Space of Higher Education. - The study of singular buildings and their realization on technical drawings by using learning systems with progressive difficulty level; This will allow extending the exercises in the program subject in the area of technical drawing systems and plans survey. This will help the student to know his city and is excellent way of helping us to bring students closer to the professional work, and thus making easier access to a job. What it is the fundamental objective of the university studies

Análisis del diseño del área de experimentación convencional de animal pequeño a través de tres modelos organizativos

Las unidades de experimentación convencional de animal pequeño son instalaciones complejas de planificar y diseñar. Es por ello que a la hora de diseñar una nueva unidad puede resultar muy valioso recopilar la información que se encuentra disponible sobre unidades similares ya construidas para así poder analizar los diferentes modelos conceptuales y los flujos de trabajo que puedan servir de referencia para su diseño. En este trabajo, a través de expresiones gráficas estandarizadas, se estudia el modelo organizativo y el diseño conceptual de la unidad de experimentación convencional de animal pequeño de tres Institutos de Investigación Sanitaria acreditados por el Instituto de Salud Carlos III. A partir de la puesta en común de los resultados obtenidos del análisis de varios casos, se pueden sacar conclusiones que pueden ser de utilidad en el diseño de fututos centros, tanto para los investigadores como para los profesionales responsables de la programación funcional, diseño, construcción y puesta en funcionamiento de nuevos centros de experimentación convencional de animal pequeño

The architectural drawing: a method of building analysis, a study of unique buildings

The aim of this educational innovation project is the study of the interesting building. In this case the exercises are focused in those similar tasks being currently performed by professionals. The detailed study of a building makes easier the understanding of it, as well as to analyze the building in all its dimensions. First of all, an initial assessment about knowledge and skills of the new students will be performed for the purpose of achieving an optimal adaptation. 1.-The Goals are: Study and analysis of interesting buildings ; Building as a study element for the future professionals in Building ; Analysis of the building elements like educational models, and documentation to be issued for educational purposes. 2. Description of the project and outcome phases Actions: An architectural survey (elevations and sections) of the Unique buildings will be produced ; - The selected buildings will be a nalyzed by producing the plans. Our plan is to use these types of activities to make the students perform similar works to those performed by professionals. In order to encourage the student s to participate in the educational process the following activities are proposed: a) With the aim students can get a better understanding on their achievements we address: - To do a self assessment; -To evaluate the exercises of other mates; -To comment corrections in public presentations; b) To motivate students for documenting the different topics of the subject program ; c) To identify practical exercises; d) To produce practical exercises; e) To increase the awareness of the students at the required exigency level as well as to be aware of their own failures; f) To gain a clear view of the objectives; g) To get a higher level of involvement and participation by the students; h) To acquire skills on finding and selecting, with valuable criteria the useful sources of information; i) To propose the elaboration of a monographic work to be realized in a team of students; j) To computerize the studied models for their publication in the existing educational platforms for the students. A subsequent application of them in the learning program of the Architectural Drawing I and II subjects ; k) To produce open information repositories to be available in the educational platforms. 3. Expected results: To improve and promote the team work in order to increase the exchange of knowledge’s and promote the integration of students in their future professional life. Incorporation of new t echnologies in the learning by: Applying new educational and assessment methodologies to be applied to the students and their works. We intend to continue progressing towards the convergence to the European Space of Higher Education. - The study of singular buildings and their realization on technical drawings by using learning systems with progressive difficulty level; This will allow extending the exercises in the program subject in the area of technical drawing systems and plans survey. This will help the student to know his city and is excellent way of helping us to bring students closer to the professional work, and thus making easier access to a job. What it is the fundamental objective of the university studies

Metodologías grupales en el aula: desarrollo de procesos innovadores y aprendizaje continuado

El proyecto aborda la aplicación de metodologías grupales en el desarrollo y en el final de los procesos formativos. Recoge experiencias de 40 profesores de 6 universidades madrileñas