UNIVERSITY-COMPANY INTERACTION FOR REAL CASE-BASED TEACHING IN ENGINEERING

Abstract

The content of a Quality Management subject in Production Engineering courses tends to be developed mostly or exclusively with theory, which may generate a possible lack of focus by the actors involved in the teaching-learning process: students, teachers and support staff. To increase the effectiveness of the teaching of this curricular unit and to demonstrate that the use of real cases of the subfield of study, especially with partnerships between university and company, can enhance the teaching of these curricular contents, we developed and experience reported here characterized as action research. This is a partnership project between a company in the automotive industry and a public university with the purpose of bringing cases of real problems related directly or indirectly to the subject of quality management in a Production Engineering undergraduate course. Cases and training were elaborated to be applied in the classroom, a final project that required group work and constant contact with the company to evaluate the progress of the project according to reports and schedule, expository classes as a theoretical basis the literature of the subarea of Quality Management. Based on this experience, it is possible to state that it is possible to successfully establish university-company partnerships for the development of joint actions in the scope of undergraduate engineering education. The company, considering an adequate process of approach and sharing of expectations before the beginning of the activities in the classroom, showed willingness to this partnership with a focus on the training of graduates in Production Engineering, and aspects related to possible barriers regarding execution time and expected results were aspects of encouragement to the process, and not a barrier. Also, the students became more interested in the subject content showing autonomy and growing responsibility as co-responsible for the creation and construction of knowledge throughout the course.