Pedagogical strategies for Chemical Engineering courses: Skills development through Project-based learning (PBL)

Abstract

The formal curriculum practices in engineering education have been rethought in order to meet the growing demand for the development of the more traditional skills, as well as newer multidisciplinary skills for the students, making them protagonists in their own development and forging the curriculum through concrete activities (curriculum in action) that go beyond the prescribed curriculum. As a fundamental part of this process, a project was developed by students and professors of the Chemical Engineering course, where the Project-Based Learning methodology was applied. During the traditional curriculum course "Operations and Processes Laboratory", students were able to work with the curriculum in action through four main activities that required the application of technical knowledge linked to communication skills and problem solving, adaptation to reality, proactivity and analytical ability. The development of competences and skills by the students was analyzed based on the reports they presented as a result of their group projects and summarized in a matrix of general engineering competences, based on the Brazilian National Curriculum Guidelines. Through this matrix it was possible to conclude that the students solved the real problem situations using the technical knowledge learned at the University, while taking into account the relevant economic, environmental and social aspects. They defined the theme of their work, goals and the methodology to be developed with complete autonomy. They exercised creativity and used multidisciplinary skills to seek solutions and adapt resources, acquiring equipment and supplies, developing and building adaptively, while utilizing the tools at their disposal. They exercised the analytical capacity to elucidate the results and present improvements and also introduced digital technologies to facilitate communication and other processes.