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

Mapping the sustainable development goals into the EDINSOST sustainability map of bachelor engineering degrees

© 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.This Research to Practice Work in Progress paper presents the work conducted on the use of the Sustainability Map of Bachelor Engineering Degrees (a tool developed by the EDINSOST project) to analyze how Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are developed in each Degree. Over recent years, there has been a growth in the importance of working sustainability based on the SDGs. To identify which learning objective of each SDG corresponds to each learning outcome of the EDINSOST Sustainability Map, a correspondence matrix has been defined. The matrix contains the learning outcomes of the EDINSOST Sustainability Map in its rows, and the 17 SDGs in the columns. The cells of the matrix contain the learning objectives of the SDGs that correspond to each learning outcome of the EDINSOST Sustainability Map. This work in progress presents the first results of the process of mapping the SDGs into the EDINSOST Sustainability Map of Engineering Bachelor Degrees. Early results show that some of the 169 learning objectives are not applicable to Engineering Degrees. Likewise, we have seen that learning objectives have been defined more for policy makers than for engineers, and therefore adaptation is not an easy task. However, the work done has helped us to verify that the EDINSOST Sustainability Map can help in the introduction of the SDGs into the curriculum.Peer ReviewedPostprint (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

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

Aventuras y desventuras de un informe de sostenibilidad

La introducción de la competencia sostenibilidad en los estudios de ingeniería no está resultando fácil. Paradójicamente, esto sucede en un escenario en el que el desarrollo de la competencia sostenibilidad resulta vital para la formación de una ingeniera, bajo la convicción de que el futuro será sostenible o no será. De hecho, existen numerosos estudios y proyec-tos académicos que defienden la conveniencia de la introducción y desarrollo de la sostenibilidad en los estudios de ingeniería (ABET, TUNING, etc.). Probablemente, la clave de la dificultad de conseguirlo radica en el desconocimiento y falta de experiencia de gran parte del profesorado sobre cómo trabajar esta competencia. En este artículo presentamos una revisión de la guía que el grupo SeeCS-UPC propuso para su aplicación en la Facultat d’Informàtica de Barcelona (FIB) en 2015 sobre cómo elaborar un informe de sostenibilidad del Trabajo de Fin de Grado (TFG). Tras dos años de aplicación, es buen momento para el análisis, la reflexión y la revisión de esta guía, una vez analizadas las experiencias de los partícipes en la elaboración de los TFG (tanto estudiantes, como directoras, ponentes y profesoras de la asignatura de gestión de proyectos de la FIB). Básicamente, nuestro análisis nos lleva a creer que hemos sido demasiado ambiciosas respecto a las pretensiones del informe. En consecuencia, consideramos que es mejor olvidarnos de algunos puntos, simplificar otros y explicar mejor el resto. Todo lo anterior debe ser complementado con formación para las partícipes, tanto estudiantes como profesoras.Postprint (published version

The Sustainability Matrix: A tool for integrating and assessing sustainability in the bachelor and master theses of engineering degrees

It is vital that subjects such as the circular economy, sustainable design, green computing or environmental engineering be included in the engineering curriculum. Education for sustainable development will enable engineers to develop sustainable products and provide sustainable services, thereby leading to a beneficial result for society and making an indispensable contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals achievement. As the last stage for students in academia, Degree Theses (Bachelor’s and Master’s) provide a good tool for reviewing the sustainability competencies developed during the degree, as well as being an opportunity for applying these competencies in a holistic way. In their Degree Theses, students should be able to demonstrate that they are aware of the need to introduce and assess sustainability in their future engineering projects. This paper presents a guide aimed at helping engineering students to design and develop sustainable projects, and analyzes the first results of its use in two schools of the Universitat Polite`cnica de Catalunya—BarcelonaTech. The proposal is based on a tool referred to as “the Sustainability Matrix”, in which cells contain questions that engineering students should take into account when undertaking their Degree Theses. The questions are related to the project development, the project exploitation and the possible risks involved, three aspects in accordance with the sustainability dimensions (economic, environmental and social). The Sustainability Matrix helps students to develop sustainable projects when they graduate, and teachers to assess how sustainability is incorporated across the curriculum in the subjects they teach and in the students’ Degree Theses.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad under Grant EDU2015-65574-R, and by Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) under grant number RTI2018-094982-B-I00, from study design to submission.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

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

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

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

Mapa de la competencia Sostenibilidad del proyecto EDINSOST

EDINSOST es un proyecto financiado por el Programa Estatal de I+D+i, y está orientado a afrontar los Retos de la Sociedad. El proyecto tiene por objetivo la formación de titulados capaces de liderar la resolución de los retos de nuestra sociedad mediante la integración de la formación en sostenibilidad en el Sistema Universitario Español. En el proyecto participan 55 investigadores de 9 universidades españolas. Para conseguir su objetivo, el proyecto ha defini-do el mapa de la competencia en sostenibilidad de 15 titulaciones. A partir del mapa se establecerán las estrategias didácticas más apropiadas para la formación en sostenibilidad, se diagnosticará el estado de las necesidades formativas en sostenibilidad del profesorado y del estudiantado y, finalmente, se elaborarán propuestas de capacitación para ambos colectivos. En este artículo se presenta el proyecto EDINSOST y el mapa de la competencia Sostenibilidad del grado en Ingeniería Informática como primer resultado del proyecto. El mapa es fácilmente adaptable a cualquier titulación de educación superior.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version