This paper shows how a team of highly motivated teachers at the University of Santiago, has started an innovation program in teaching and learning at electrical engineering career, having as a reference the CDIO framework. The design considered two courses: a general course of Introduction to Engineering at first semester and a course of Introduction to Electrical Engineering at second semester of the first year. Designers teachers aim to stimulate students’ interest in their careers, strengthen their motivation and develop skills and attitudes to provide a wide vision of engineering that ties the technical scope of the profession with a social and environmental dimension that transforms ethics and social responsibility into important subjects. Students, working in teams, had to investigate about topics of the courses, write a report and make an oral presentation to the class every week. At the second course, they also had to face a simple project of engineering: to control the movement of a mobile robot with a microcontroller on board. This design-implement-operate activity was very stimulating for students. This positive experience of active learning, obtained at first year, is the initial step of a program of nnovation in teaching and learning in our Faculty.
Proceedings of the 9th International CDIO Conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 9 – 13, 2013.