University-Company Interaction for Teaching Based on Real Cases in Engineering

Abstract

The content of the Quality Management subject in Production Engineering courses tends to commonly be developed without relating theory with practical activities. Considering this issue, our study investigates the university-company interaction in teaching and learning processes in an Engineering course in a manner that contributes both to the teaching activities at universities and practical activities at companies. Action research was developed from a project that partnered with a company from the automobile segment and a public university to bring real-life problems that are related to the curriculum of the quality management subject in a bachelor’s course in Production Engineering. Different resources and strategies were used: cases and training, which the company provided for in-classroom application; a final project that required student teamwork and constant contact with the company; and expository classes on the theoretical basis of Quality Management. Among the different results that were found, two factors were initially identified as barriers concerning the university-company logic, such as the execution time and the expected results of the project, and, in fact, they were facilitators of this dynamic. Another result was the increasing interest of students concerning the subject’s content as they demonstrated autonomy and responsibility during the process of knowledge creation at the course’s subject. We conclude, then, that the university-company interaction contributes to the creation of an environment that values that student as an active part that is inserted in a challenging scenario that, when enriched with constant feedback on the issues offered, promotes greater engagement and autonomy on students in regards to the learning process.