Application of a PBL to subjects of engineering in degree and master

Resumen

In the degrees of Telematics Engineering and Engineering of Telecommunications Technologies of the University of Jaén, the compulsory subject General Electronics is taught in the second year of the first semester from the 2011-2012 academic year. It is the last analog electronics of the degree, which had a high number of students who did not pass it in their first enrollment. The subject did not have the sympathy of the students for different causes. Among them, the density of its topics and competences in relation to the 6 ETCS credits assigned to it.Therefore, a change in methodology was attempted in the 2014-15 academic year, after noticing that the trend was decreasing in the success and performance rates, as well as in the resulting valuation of the student surveys. From the beginning, the methodology was 50% theoretical, evaluated with an exam, and 50% practical evaluated with the actual assembly of various circuits in the laboratory, but it had not been enough to change the trend. After considering problem-based and challenge-based learning, the methodology chosen was project-based learning (PBL). In a PBL students build their knowledge through a specific task by applying that knowledge to carry out the assigned project. Students are exposed to a relevant, predefined problem situation to find a solution. Students work on this project, acquiring the learning, necessary to execute the solution, presenting the generated product. The teacher's role would be to facilitate and manage the projects collaborating with the needs of the student who is the main protagonist of the teaching-learning process.To implement the PBL, the functional design of an incubator for microbiological samples in the 2014-2015 academic year was proposed as an option, in parallel with the initial methodology. Only 8 students chose this option, but since the results were satisfactory, the next year, still optional, most of the students followed the path of the PBL. Different projects were proposed to combine most of the subject's competences: incubator, turbidimeter, racing circuit for photovoltaic cars, scale photovoltaic pumping and water purification. These projects have been adapting and evolving throughout the years, giving way to new projects and initial premises until the 2018-2019 academic year.Thanks to the good results obtained, a PBL was directly implemented in the design of the subject Electronic Integration of the Master of Mechatronics Engineering that began in the 2017-2018 academic year. As the number of students was low, it was decided to use the incubator project, but, since the competencies and syllabus were different from the subject of the degree, the final objectives were increased, including digital electronics and printed circuit board (PCB) development.This article shows the evolution of the implementation of a PBL in a subject of degree and another of a master, with the difficult adjustments of the first years and the response by the students.These types of tools are not advisable in situations of widespread growth, orienting towards higher years and optional subjects with fewer students. This article attempts to show the experience with two compulsory subjects, with an average of 65 and 12 students. It has demanded more effort from the teaching staff but the level of student satisfaction and academic results have improved considerably, further promoting the critical spirit of teamwork and coordination.