IISES International Academic Conference, London

DESIGN OF ACADEMIC PROGRAM ORIENTED AT THE INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT OF COMPETENCIES OF ENGINEERING STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LA SERENA, CHILE

DOMINGO VEGA TORO, RICARDO CABANA VILLCA, FELICINDO CORTÉS

Abstract:

The purpose of this article is to justify and technically present the design of a program for the Faculty of Engineering of the University of La Serena, which allows to develop the competencies and skills of its students, through participation in solving real problems in surrounding organizations. The program contributes to practical training, fostering student satisfaction with respect to the immediate community engagement and their development as a future professional. The design is based on the Project-Based Learning and Service-Learning methodology and on a univariate analysis based on what was expressed by a representative sample of 164 Industrial Civil Engineering students from the mentioned university. The results reflect a favorable trend towards the need and relevance of implementing a program based on practical experience, active learning and collaborative work with organizations in the environment.

Keywords: practical training, community engagement, project-based learning, service-learning, job competencies