Aligning professional skills and active learning methods: an application for information and communications technology engineering

ABSTRACT

Engineering education is facing new challenges to effectively provide the appropriate skills to future engineering professionals according to market demands. This study proposes a model based on active learning methods, which is expected to facilitate the acquisition of the professional skills most highly valued in the information and communications technology (ICT) market. The theoretical foundations of the study are based on the specific literature on active learning methodologies. The Delphi method is used to establish the fit between learning methods and generic skills required by the ICT sector. An innovative proposition is therefore presented that groups the required skills in relation to the teaching method that best develops them. The qualitative research suggests that a combination of project-based learning and the learning contract is sufficient to ensure a satisfactory skills level for this profile of engineers.

KEYWORDS:

• Active learning
• engineering education
• information and communications technology (ICT)
• professional skills
• market demands

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Ariadna Llorens is Ph.D. in Business Administration and MS in Industrial Engineering, both from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). She has been Master in Business Administration from ESADE, Ramon Llull University. Since 2000 she has worked as an Associate Professor at the Department of Management at UPC. Her works have been published in peer-reviewed international journals such as IT Professional, Computer Applications in Engineering Education, Intangible Capital. Her research interests are in the areas of innovation methodologies in higher education; knowledge and technology transfer; and entrepreneurship.

Jasmina Berbegal-Mirabent is Ph.D. in Management and MS in Industrial Engineering and in Organizational Industrial Engineering, all from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Spain. Since 2013 she has worked as an associate professor at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya and as a part-time professor at the Department of Management at UPC. She has also been a Visiting Research Associate at the Institute of Education at the University of London. Her works have been published in peer-reviewed international journals such as The Service Industries Journal, Journal of Business Research, Management Decision, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal and European Journal of Management. She is on the editorial board of the Journal of Business Research and Management Decision. Her research interests are in the areas of strategic planning and management of higher education institutions; academic entrepreneurship and knowledge and technology transfer.

Xavier Llinàs-Audet is Ph.D. in Computer Science and also holds a degree in Business and Economics. He is a full professor at the Department of Management and the academic director of the UNESCO Chair of Higher Education Management, both at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). His research interests are in the fields of industrial economics, regional economics, human resources and the strategic planning of higher education institutions. He has led more than 30 projects sponsored by the Catalan regional government, the Spanish government and the European Union. He is also the author of more than 8 books, 25 papers in international and indexed peer-reviewed journals and 40 conference proceedings. He has also been a visitor professor in more than 30 universities all over the world, where he has collaborated in teaching activities (i.e. organising Ph.D. programmes, giving conferences and lectures), research projects, as well as in European projects such as TEMPUS, ALFA, COMET, INTERREG, and LEADER.

ORCID

Jasmina Berbegal-Mirabent http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5145-2179