TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION OF INNOVATIVE METHODOLOGIES IN CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING IN CHILE. A CASE STUDY

Abstract

The demands of society are changing rapidly, which in turn enhances the need to prepare qualified professionals with up-dated skills and competencies. Due to this fact, universities must be able to develop new teaching strategies which should be focused, not only in the curricula, but on teaching methodology. This paper shows an experience, developed for the subject matter of electrical installations within the Construction Engineering degree of the Autonomous University of Chile. The aim is to show a Project-Based Learning model using cooperative as well as collaborative strategies, while taking into ac-count both the particular situation of higher education in Chile and the socio-cultural factors of students. The methodology and tools used for its implementation are described and related to obtained results within the Chilean context. It concludes that this teaching method contributes with learning enhancement in terms of strengthening of technical and transversal competencies, while also resulting in a significant improvement of grades, as well as a marked reduction in the absenteeism rate.