Learning based on the project entitled "Design and construction of a wooden bridge"

This article presents the results of a case involving the application of project-based learning carried out with students in the Mechanical Engineering degree program at the University of Girona. The project, entitled “Design and construction of a wooden bridge”, was conducted at the Polytechnic Sch...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Barris, Cristina, Torres, Lluís, Simon, Enric
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/90437
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/90437
https://dx.doi.org/10.3926/jotse.219
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Project method in teaching
Activity programs in education
Engineering--Education
Education, Higher
Project based learning
Engineering education
Construction
Ensenyament universitari
Mètode de projectes (Ensenyament)
Ensenyament -- Mètodes actius
Enginyeria -- Ensenyament universitari
Construcció -- Ensenyament universitari
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ensenyament i aprenentatge::Ensenyament universitari
Descripción
Sumario:This article presents the results of a case involving the application of project-based learning carried out with students in the Mechanical Engineering degree program at the University of Girona. The project, entitled “Design and construction of a wooden bridge”, was conducted at the Polytechnic School in the third-year Structures course. This project required students to address, consider and solve different problems related to the resistance of materials, structural calculations, material optimization and structural design. The project also included the building of the bridge based on the calculations made, thus enabling the students to verify the suitability of the theoretical calculations as compared to real results. Finally, a competition was held to reward those teams who obtained the best ratio between the failure load and the weight of the bridge. The main conclusion observed from the implementation of only two editions of this project is the acquisition of the different proposed competences (both specific and cross-curricular) by the students. Finally, it was interesting to note that after completing the activity, the students were observed to be more motivated by the course content