Detection of training deficiencies in the autonomous learning of graphic engineering students: a university teacher training experience based on competencies

The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech (UPC) offers a postgraduate teacher-training programme based on ‘‘Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) postgraduate university teacher-training’’ competencies consisting of 15 ECTS, which officially began in September 2015. This Postgraduate course concludes with a final project carrying 6 ECTS in which students are required to design and plan an innovation in teaching to implement in the classroom and to analyse the results; this project is supervized by a senior female lecturer from the university with experience in teaching innovation. This article presents a final project that consists in planning different voluntary activities with the aim of increasing the level of acquisition of the autonomous learning generic competence of students engaged in Graphic Expression (GE). This is a core subject in the first year of all the engineering degree courses imparted at the UPC Escola d’Enginyeria de Barcelona Est (EEBE—Barcelona East School of Engineering). This set of activities will continuously generate a series of outcomes to provide students with formative feedback, thereby enabling them to detect deficiencies in the goals established for the subject and make improvements in good time. The results of these outcomes are then analysed and related to the compulsory assessments that are taken into account for the final evaluation of the said generic competence. Participation in these voluntary activities fosters the acquisition of the autonomous learning competence and contributes to a notable improvement in the teaching-learning process of spatial geometry. Furthermore, this postgraduate teaching innovation project has allowed the participating lecturer to apply the acquired competencies to the different subjects, which has resulted in improved student learning as well as enabling a senior female lecturer to advise another female faculty member of the same university by sharing her experience, which in turn has enriched the teaching experience.Peer Reviewe