Collaborative professional skills for engineers through descriptive geometry

Abstract

The contemporary challenges of professionals in the fields of engineering have demanded new skills in dealing with form, both in the traditional means of representation and in the digital media, of which the pencil and paper and tools of Computer Aided Design coexist and are complementary. Object modeling has to be accurate, anticipating errors in order to avoid reworking. The correction of errors in the design phase is undoubtedly grounded in the knowledge of descriptive geometry. From the point of view of interpersonal skills, new demands frequently have been present such as cooperation, collaboration, interactivity, among others. This article discusses teaching experiences of descriptive geometry in the courses of civil engineering and mechanical engineering at Federal University of Pernambuco. The study makes use of active methodologies through innovative tools to broaden the debate about the applications of descriptive geometry in the design of models and the active teaching and learning methodologies for the acquisition of spatial visualization that stimulate collaboration in the learning process in a scenario of constant innovation. The students used traditional drawing tools (pencil and paper) and digital tools (AutoCAD and SketchUp) applied in solving problems. The innovation refers to the use of active methodologies for the apprehension of contents and the development of collaborative skills. These studies demonstrate that students have interacted and collaborated actively with different working groups.