Applying project oriented learning to teach Signal and Image Processing in a simulated corporate scenario

Teaching is one of the main activities in the daily lives of most GTM researchers. Innovative by nature, they permanently review and update the learning methodologies employed in the subjects they teach. Moreover, they also enjoy communicating their innovations in this field to the scientific community.

Fortunately, La Salle – Universitat Ramon Llull offers an ideal multidisciplinary ecosystem to put the most innovative learning methodologies into practice. In a transvertical collaboration effort between members of the Grup de Recerca en Technology Enhanced Learning (GRETEL) and GTM, they designed and implemented a Project Oriented Learning (POL) methodology involving 3rd and 4th year students enrolled in signal processing, image processing and project management subjects of different engineering degrees.

In a nutshell, the whole experience was based on the implementation of a videogame, which served as the learning artifact, in a simulated corporate environment. In this context, the students of the signal processing related subjects had to develop new interaction functionalities for the videogame, while the project management students were in charge of managing the project development. Moreover, students worked in groups, which enabled them to develop soft skills (like conflict management, leadership, planning, or negotiation) necessary for the success of the project.

To evaluate the results of this experience, an analysis of the academic outcome and opinion surveys conducted among the participating students was conducted. Moreover, to provide a long-term analysis, the same students were surveyed several years after their participation in the experience, when they were integrated in the labour market. Thus, it was interesting to know whether the experience had provided them with useful skills in their professional lives.

This work has been recently published at Computers in Human Behavior (see link below). The article, co-authored by GTM members Xavier Sevillano and Joan Claudi Socoró, describes the design, implementation and evaluation of the multi-subject POL-based experience during three consecutive academic years. It highlights the pros and cons of implementing this type of learning approaches in real life, offering valuable suggestions to those interested in replicating them.

Iriondo, I., Montero, J.A., Sevillano, X. & Socoró, J.C. (2019) Developing a videogame for learning signal processing and project management using project-oriented learning in ICT engineering degrees. Computers in Human Behavior. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2019.03.019. Online version.