Application of flexible teaching and learning methods in engineering courses

LERENDEGUI, NORBERTO M.; LARRONDO, SUSANA A.

San Rafael -Mendoza

Congreso; CLICAP 2018; 2018

Facultad de Ciencias Aplicadas e Ingeniería - UNCuyo

Flexible learning involves student-centered teaching-learning approaches that make use of the appropriate technologiesto increase the efficacy and efficiency of the learning process. Its application in university engineering education wouldimprove the academic performance and motivation of argentine students. This paper evaluates the impact of theimplementation of flexible learning on the Transport Phenomena course in the Environmental Engineering program atUNSAM. To this purpose, learning objectives were redefined and the techniques: flipped-classroom, collaborative problem-based learning, think-pair-share, one-minute paper and class test were incorporated. The performance of the students of the 2017 first-semester cohort was measured and compared with that of five previous cohorts. It was observed that the course abandonment rate was drastically reduced from 20% to 4%, for the first time all attending students approved, the approval rate rose up to 96%, being the maximum value previously reached of 74%, and the average grade of the students who passed the course was 7.76, the maximum value of the series. Surveys showed that the students consider that the implemented techniques are very useful and attractive, expressing a high degree of satisfaction.