Sharpen critical thinking skills to boost future works. The case of engineers from freehand drawing to digital processes

Abstract

Learning never stops, and neither does teaching. Re-engaging critical thinking learned at an early age and boosting skills within the university setting play a critical role in shaping a generation of professionals capable of meeting the ever-changing challenges of the modern world. The experience is related to the Building Engineering degree program at the Politecnico di Torino, specifically in the first-year Building Drawing course, pointing out the relevance of the approach from the beginning of the curricular path. The discipline of Drawing, understood as a language of communication for the construction industry, is the element around which an active learning path with students is developed. The scheme adopted provided theoretical notions as the knowledge foundation, then methods and tools between tradition and innovation for representing and analyzing the projects with a critical attitude. Real-world (freehand sketching), digital (Computer-Aided Design vs Building Information Modelling), Augmented and Virtual (avatar in the metaverse) practices are presented to provide a synoptic picture of possibilities that the student may choose to self-consciously employ in further academic courses and their working life.