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
