Integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics contents through PBL in an industrial engineering and management first year program

Abstract

Paper aims: This paper presents teachers and students perspectives of integration Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses contents into the first year of Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) program through Project-Based Learning (PBL). Originality: These perspectives provide strategies that IEM teachers could use to challenge students to apply STEM contents to design a product and its production system by developing a semester interdisciplinary project. Research method: Grounded on project deliveries and an on-line questionnaire, the teachers and students' work and perceptions were analysed in order to understand and to evaluate the effectiveness of such strategies. Main findings: Results pointed out a general satisfaction of the teachers with the way teams integrate the STEM contents to design the production system and the product and students proud of their projects. Implications for theory and practice: PBL is recognized as an active learning methodology that engages students in their own learning process and allows them to realize the relevance of all courses and the role of each to design a product/production system. Nevertheless, is fundamental a good knowledge of the PBL process to achieve this.