ACTIVE METHODOLOGIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A SYSTEMATIC MAPPING IN THE CONTEXT OF ENGINEERING COURSES

ABSTRACT:

Active learning is all pedagogical alternatives that place the focus of learning on the students. With the mediation of competent teachers, the students learn by discovery, by investigation, and by problems. Such methodologies commonly promote more content retention and comprehension once the students are engaged in activities, whether through research, group collaborations, discussion, and problem-solving. This work aimed to verify the temporal evolution of active learning methods in higher education Engineering courses, based on a systematic mapping of the literature. We observed which are the main researchers in this field, their geographic location, and which methodologies are preferred in the context of these courses. From the results, we observe a growth in scientific publications on active learning methodologies and Engineering Education, especially in the last five years of the period analysed (between 2015 and 2020). We also see research in this field on all continents, with a predominance of studies led by American and European researchers. In the mapped studies, the inverted classroom and problem-based learning were the most identified methodologies. It indicates a concern of teachers in this area to promote activities with high involvement, which allow the development of personal and professional skills and competencies, even during their training period.

Keywords:
active learning; Engineering Education; Project-Based Learning; Problem-Based Learning; Flipped Classroom