An overview of today's project-based learning and how it has been implemented in the Chemical Engineering School at Universidad de Los Andes

Abstract

This paper builds on a project-based engineering learning strategy called RAIS 'Reproducing an Innovation Environment in the Classroom' applied in courses in the Chemical Engineering curriculum at the Universidad de Los Andes (ULA). It follows a previous investigation where the practical implementation of RAIS strategy is presented (Marquez et al., 2016), and in this occasion the theoretical fundamentals of the RAIS strategy are outlined. Authors take the common project-based learning to a new level by directly involving the students in the common start-up company practice, where the final product to be formulated and manufactured is not a requirement from an external client, but comes from real entrepreneurship students' interests. In previous work it has been shown that this strategy allows interconnecting the course objectives with the development of a product. RAIS strategy has reported successful outcomes in the accomplishment of this goal for Chemical Engineering students at ULA.

A perspective on the synergistic potential of artificial intelligence and product-based learning strategies in biobased materials education

“…With this approach, students were expected to passively receive information from instructors with no hands-on deliverables. Nowadays, there is a growing interest in using project and product-based learning strategies and other experiential learning approaches in education (Tolosa et al, 2018). This shift is partly driven by the recognition that traditional classroom-based teaching methods are not always effective in engaging students and helping them develop the knowledge and skills needed in an ever-changing work A few years ago, a product-based educational framework called Reproduction of an Innovation Environment in the Classroom (RAIS in Spanish) was developed and implemented in the Chemical Engineering School at Universidad de Los Andes in Venezuela (Márquez et al, 2016).…”

Computer Animation Education Online: A Tool to Teach Control Systems Engineering throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Project-based learning (PBL) has been established throughout the 20th century as a tool to improve classical (or traditional) education practices [23]. It is a methodology developed from the Aalborg University Model in the early 1970s [57][58][59], which is based on three principles: cognitive learning, the contents, and social approaches [58,60,61].…”

“…The latter is linked to the UNESCO education goals, including learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be, which require new teaching and learning strategies to be applied as an alternative to old educational ways [62,63]. Recent works have discussed PBL characteristics, highlighting commonalities and specific contrasts with other strategies, such as problem-based learning, with a distinctive difference in the effectiveness of the methods [23,59,[61][62][63][64][65][66]. Moreover, the UNESCO report in 2010 [67,68], indicates the importance of an innovative mindset in engineering graduates.…”

“…PBL experiences have multiplied in recent years, even more after the COVID-19 pandemic started [13]. Accordingly, multiple examples of the deployment of PBL strategies can be found in the literature, including courses in design and engineering curricula [13,23,57,60,61,64].…”

“…The strategy has been used to attain the objectives and goals of the control systems engineering courses since 2020, after the lockdown and stay-at-home orders were implemented in Latin American countries. Thus, we used innovative teaching and learning strategies, such as project-based learning to attain the educational goals and overcome the challenges of reaching out to students through online education [22,23]. The research products (computer animations) that were attained through 20 years of studies in the Department of Control Systems at the University of Los Andes are reviewed, and their implementation is discussed.…”