Work in progress - issues adopting the “Bologna Process” student-centric methodologies in high enrollment core subjects

Abstract

A major component of the “Bologna process” is shifting the focus from instructor-centered “teaching” to student-centered “active learning”. This change, however, poses an additional burden on the instructor's resources. Besides, the simultaneous redesign of all degrees has allowed universities to exploit synergies. In the Carlos III University, this has led to the creation of horizontal, core subjects that span multiple engineering degrees. The subject analyzed in this paper, Foundations of Engineering Management, spans 7 different engineering degrees. Since this is a core (not elective) subject, this might result in nearly 20 groups being taught each year, from Sep 2009 onwards. Adopting the “Bologna process” student-centric methodologies in such a high-enrollment subject faces significant hurdles in areas such as resources or homogenization. This requires achieving the educational equivalent of the current manufacturing trend towards “mass-customization”, in order to allow individually tailored learning paths with a level of resources similar to that required by standardized education. This paper analyzes the project of designing and preparing for this shift, including the preparatory pilots and the adoption of ITC support tools to facilitate the process.