Managing first PBL experiences: Cross competences in a traditional environment

When first introducing PBL into a traditional teaching environment, several problems tend to arise. Not changing the structure means that first PBL experiences can only be carried out by a small group of instructors. The use of technology, teamwork methods, and the sharing of individual experiences resulted in some techniques and ideas to introduce PBL successfully in our actual curriculum. This paper presents an experience using this form of active learning in a subject belonging to our Mechanical Engineering degree, which combines three essential aspects in training students: enabling them to be digitally competent according to the European Union considerations, designing and conducting active learning, and analyzing the students´ motivation through their educational process. Although the experience was developed in traditional designed environments, ITs were used to ease the collaboration between students.