The Final Project and Its Contribution to the Development of Generic Graduation Competencies of Bioengineers at the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos

Abstract

The present research aims to analyze the contribution of the completion of the final degree project to the development of generic professional graduation competencies among students of the Bioengineering program at the Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Based on surveys administered to students, graduates, and project directors, complemented by interviews with academic authorities and faculty members of the Final Project course, a broadly positive assessment of the Final Project was identified as an integrative instance for the real-world application of knowledge. The results show that the Final Project particularly favors the development of the generic graduation competencies of identifying and solving engineering problems, teamwork, effective communication, and project management. However, opportunities for improvement are also evident with respect to the social, political, and attitudinal generic graduation competencies, such as acting with an entrepreneurial spirit, acting with ethics, professional responsibility, and social commitment—taking into account the economic, social, and environmental impact of one's activity in both local and global contexts—and autonomous learning. It can be concluded that the Final Project constitutes a pedagogically relevant space in the training of bioengineers with regard to the development of generic graduation competencies.