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Authors

New degrees adapted to the so called European Higher Education Area (EHEA)

arising from the Bologna Declaration of 1999 have began to be widespread taught

in the academic year 2010-2011. This has brought about a small revolution

in universities, regarding that the modifi cation of well-established methods

and concepts has been required. Being aware of the new requirements, many

educational centres have conducted pilot courses during previous years, with the

aim of making the transition as smooth as possible.

One of the new concepts used is the focus on the hours that an undergraduate

student dedicates to the understanding of a subject, including all activities

undertaken in this context (theoretical classes, practical classes, labs, group work,

site visits, independent study, examinations, etc ...), as well as the promotion of

a more applied teaching. Another new feature is the inclusion of the acquisition

by the student of the so-called transversal skills (teamwork, goal planning, public

speaking, etc.) among the objectives of a course, besides the particular knowledge

and specifi c skills of the subject.

In this article, two experiences that the Group of Educational Innovation on Applied

Thermodynamics at Industrial Engineering School of Industrial Engineers of

Madrid has made to adapt the teaching of Thermodynamics in this new European

framework are described. They are thought to be fully exportable to other areas

of engineering. So on, in the fi rst activity, some basic concepts are now acquired

in a lab activity that replaces a master class. For that purpose, the previous

restatement of the lab session is needed, because traditionally the theoretical

concepts had been acquired by the students before attending it. The second activity

is designed to acquire some of the transversal skills the engineer is supposed to

have at the beginning of his professional career, and which, in the new context,

must be incorporated in the teaching objectives and even must be evaluated.