The European project semester at ISEP learning to learn engineering

Abstract

The European Project Semester at ISEP (EPS@ISEP) is a one semester project-based learning programme addressed to engineering students from diverse scientific backgrounds and nationalities. The students, organized in multicultural teams, are challenged to solve real world multidisciplinary problems, accounting for 30 ECTU. The EPS package, although focused on project development (20 ECTU), includes a series of complementary seminars aimed at fostering soft, project-related and engineering transversal skills (10 ECTU). This paper presents the study plan, resources, operation and results of the EPS@ISEP that was created in 2011 to apply the best engineering education practices and promote the internationalization of ISEP. The results show that the EPS@ISEP students acquire during one semester the scientific, technical and soft competences necessary to propose, design and implement a solution for a multidisciplinary problem.

Patterns beyond Faraday waves: observation of parametric crossover from Faraday instabilities to the formation of vortex lattices in open dual fluid strata

“…In this case students would need access to an operational facility provided by, for example, the particular physics department running laboratory courses (see below). On a second, more advanced level, for example within a master's programme for engineering physics, the ideas presented here lend themselves naturally to implementation within a CDIO framework [3][4][5]. Thus there is room for training in collaborative project work and planning of diversified projects like this one with its many different inputs; there is design and construction of equipment, an operational phase, final documentation, etc.…”

“…In this sense such studies should be of educational value and well suited for more advanced collaborative project work in, for example, engineering physics programmes based on the CDIO educational approach [3][4][5] ('Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate').…”

“…(5) establish two opposite closed rotational movements which meet upwards at the centre as indicated by the cross-sectional views in figure 4(b).…”

Learning Engineering with EPS@ISEP: Developing Projects for Smart Sustainable Cities

“…• Sustainability-oriented design practices • Ethics-oriented design practices • Marketing-oriented design practices • Teamwork skills • Communication skills • Project management skills The ethical and sustainability concerns of EPS@ISEP staff (teachers and project advisers) are present at the syllabus level, by including dedicated project supportive modules, at the project brief level, by proposing SSC open-ended problems as suggested by [22], at the report level, by including dedicated chapters in the report template, and at the process level as recommend by [25]. Authentic involvement activities expose the student to real situations with totally open-ended projects, although the faculty may influence the selection of the situations and set performance criteria to assure that positive learning objectives are met [1].…”

Engineering Education for Sustainable Development: The European Project Semester Approach

“…To avoid repetition, the framework of EPS is described using ISEP as an example and including some singularities from the other two providers. The EPS program provided by ISEP includes the project (20 ECTU) and five project support seminars (2 ECTU each) oriented towards the specificities of each team's project [25]- [27]:…”