The Design Student Association “Etsidi-Design” as an Active Tool in the Participation of the Students in the Formal Education in the Degree in Engineering in Industrial Design and Product Development

Abstract

The growth of technologies makes necessary redefining higher education. Students nowadays are more prepared to look up information all around the meanings, so we have to deal with new ways of teaching and collaboration. The creative capacity they show, and our background in art an art education are enabling new ways of learning and teaching. Some years ago in our School of Engineering, an association called Etsidi-Design was born and it has been able to mobilize hundreds of students. Since then they have been participating in active projects from different fields. This association is not only focused on design, but also on engineering technology, culture, art and other events related to the human behavior and interest. Our attention, as teachers, has been to collaborate together and to promote an horizontal learning with artistic projects, facilitating the means of our School and learning them to know and integrate their curiosities. The result of this collaboration has been to involve them to participate in the proposals of our classes in the Degree in Engineering in Industrial Design and Product Development. Teachers have to facilitate new ways of learning, approaching students to their reality and preferences in learning. Our proposal is based on the sense of taking advantage of all the knowledge students have, so as to help them to extract it so they will be better prepared to their professional career.