THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM MODEL IN THE THERMAL ENGINES AND MACHINES AREA: ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF EXPERIENCES

At present, the role that Universities will play in the digitalized and globalized world of the 21st century is under discussion. In fact, they are not the main source of knowledge since the growth of Internet. Our students probably do more queries in Google than in the recommended bibliography. Moreover, a large part of the contents taught in current degrees will become obsolete during the next decades and, among employers, the transversal competences are much more important than specific knowledge. Universities must adapt quickly to technological and socio-cultural changes if they do not want to disappear in the coming decades. Instead of competing with the new forms of ICT-based teaching, they must integrate them to redirect their potential towards higher quality learning, providing attendance classes with an added value based on human capital. In this sense, the figure of the teacher should be reinforced and revalued, because it remains irreplaceable to motivate, guide and create a learning space by competencies, as ICT cannot do. The flipped classroom model integrates naturally in this new learning framework. On the one hand, it allows applying active methodologies in the classroom, such as simulation, debate, problem-based learning, projects or cases, which stimulate deep learning of specific contents, developing procedural skills in an applied way and improving of transversal competences, whose importance has already been mentioned. Under this pedagogical model, the student assumes a leading and active role in the attendance sessions, working autonomously or collaboratively with equals, with the help and supervision of the teacher. This work collects and compares the flipped classroom experiences carried out in several subjects of the area of Thermal Engines and Machines of the University of Zaragoza during the last three academic years. Based on the experience acquired, guidelines are also included to properly plan the flipped classroom application in both laboratory sessions and lectures.