1. Background on the pilot 

The pilot was carried out in the first course of Physical Engineering at the School of Telecommunication Engineers of the Polytechnic University of Valencia. The subject is called Fundamentals of Business Organization. 

It is a group of 75 students who are in the first year of the degree. The experience began on February 14 and the calendar sets the end of the course at the beginning of June 2024. 

The distribution of the 6 credits is as follows: Theory 3 credits, Classroom practice 2, Laboratory practicals 1 credit.  

The students are not motivated with Business Management and their interest is especially focused on science and technology. 

This is the welcome message to the students that somehow reflects the purpose of it while trying to convince the students to get involved in learning. 

 

As an engineering and physics student, you are probably passionate about science and technology, and you want to apply your knowledge to solve problems and create innovative solutions. 

But do you know how to turn your ideas into profitable and sustainable projects, do you know the opportunities and challenges in the marketplace, and do you have the skills to lead teams, negotiate with customers and partners, and manage resources? 

If you want to broaden your professional horizons and make the most of your potential, you need to know the business and economic world.  

Understanding how companies work and how they are managed will open up new opportunities and give you a broader perspective of your professional future. 

That is why the course "Fundamentals of Business Organization" will help you take the first steps to acquire the concepts and tools that will allow you to understand and participate in the business environment, thus boosting your career and contributing to social development. 

 

This is the logo of the course that was generated using Dall-e including tech and business graphical elements. 

The course works with innovation competencies and social and environmental commitment. 

The most relevants skills and competences of this course are the next ones: 

• - Students have demonstrated knowledge and understanding in an area of study that builds on the foundation of general secondary education, and is typically at a level that, while relying on advanced textbooks, also includes some aspects that involve knowledge from the cutting edge of their field of study.  

 - Students are able to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and possess the skills that are typically demonstrated through the development and defense of arguments and problem solving within their field of study.  

 - That students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their area of study) to make judgments that include reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues. CB4(GE) Students are able to convey information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialized and non-specialized audiences. 

- Know how to gather and handle any source of information related to Engineering Physics and make reasoned judgments about it, as well as apply mechanisms of scientific and technological surveillance.  

- Know the processes of innovation management and technology transfer, to apply them in the performance of professional activities related to innovation and development in companies with a technological profile.  

-  Knowing how to write and develop projects aimed at the design and development or exploitation of devices and systems of direct interaction with the physical environment, based on the fundamental principles of Physics.  

- To know how to solve problems with initiative, decision-making, creativity, and to communicate and transmit knowledge, skills and abilities, understanding the ethical and professional responsibility of the activity of the Graduate in Engineering Physics.  

- That students have developed those learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy. 

The syllabus of the course is as follows: 

Management 

• Introduction to the company 

• Strategic analysis 

• Organizational structure 

• Functional Areas 

• Management 

• Human Resources 

• Finance 

• Operations 

• Marketing 

• Technology and Information Systems. 

2. Objectives of the pilot 

Students should understand the relevance of business management for their future career as engineers. The pilot focuses on the development of an entrepreneurship project that aims to apply technology, especially information and communication technologies to support an initiative that contributes to making Valencia a smart city. In this way, the initiative is related to the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically goal 17: that cities are inclusive environments facilitating the lives of their inhabitants. 

3. Methods, models and practices 

At the beginning of the semester, students were introduced to the relationship between business models, business processes and current ICT. Practical activities have allowed the definition of a business model using ICT that contributes to SDG 11 which aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. 

Lab practices included demand forecasting and marketing process management. In all activities, creativity in problem solving was valued. Students were introduced to the concepts of critical thinking and innovation. 

A survey was conducted with voluntary participation and focus on the dimensions of the FINCODA model that this pilot was assigned. The results are presented in the following section. 

4. Results (based on Questions for participating teachers and Students) 

Test focus (NA related, what will be tested, number of 8 category): 3, 4 

Feedback focus (Assessment Tool, Training Package, Storyline): (Assessment Tool)  

54 students have answered this question. 

The dimension 3 V3[CR03]. Draws on what you've shown in a context where you need to be innovative or help a team to be innovative (whether in a job in your organization or in your work as a student) and keep it throughout the assessment. How do you consider your ability to....     [Create original solutions to problems or exploit opportunities. 

The range is # 1: Needs a lot of improvement#100: Excellent] 

The results: two missing values.  

count  53 valid values 

mean   73.826923    

std    19.466842     

min    35.000000     

25%    59.750000     

50%    73.000000     

75%    87.750000     

max   100.000000    

2. Mode: 100. The mode is 100, which means it is the value that appears most frequently in the dataset. 

3. Median: 73.0. The median is 73, indicating that 50% of the data is below this value and 50% above. 

4. Range: 65. The range is the difference between the maximum and minimum values, showing the total dispersion of the data. 

5. Variance: 378.96. Variance measures the dispersion of the data relative to the mean. 

6. Coefficient of variation: 26.37%. This value indicates a moderate variability in relation to the mean. 

7. Skewness: -0.31. The negative skewness indicates that the distribution has a longer tail to the left (lower values). 

8. Kurtosis: -0.98. The negative kurtosis suggests that the distribution is flatter (platykurtic) than a normal distribution. 

General interpretation: 

* The data has a fairly dispersed distribution, with a wide range of 65 points. 

* The mean (73.83) is slightly higher than the median (73.0), which is consistent with the slight negative skewness. 

Objectives:
Students get acquainted with the concept of innovation competence.

Students train a more objective self-perception. They become aware that biases play a role in self-assessments and learn how to avoid or at least reduce them.

Methods:  

Introduction of the Sincoe-Concept of innovation competence Sincoe@Assessment Tool in a face-to-face lecture or in a online synchronous TEAMS-lecture. 

Minigroups: What experiences have students had with self-assessment so far? How reliable do they consider a self-assessment of their own skills (their own innovation skills) to be? Report and summary of the results in plenary.

Application of the Sincoe assessment training on Moodle. Subsequently, individual working with the Sincoe@Assessment Tool.

Students meet again in minigroups: How did the early training affect the work with the questionnaire?

Written summary of the mini-group results, feedback sheet.

Presentation and discussion of the most important results in plenary.

Environment:

20 Students of the 4th or higher semester in the compulsory course Human Resource Management. Age between 20 and 40 years. They have experience with group work in face-to-face and online settings.

Role:

Lecturer provides informative input. She motivates, helps and advises on the use of the assessment tool, the Assessment Training and on the organization of the TEAMS groups. She also moderates the large group event.

Motivation: 

This is a compulsory course. The students have decided on key areas of their studies, but some are also toying with the idea of working self-employed after graduation. The motivational parts of the course may therefore be particularly interesting.

Assessment: 

Sincoe@Assessment tool and feedback-worksheet for the TEAMS groups.

Goal:

Examination of the influence of the Sincoe training videos for self-assessment of innovation competence combined with the regular content of the course (including learning units on the topics of perception and personality traits) on self-assessment with the Sincoe assessment tool.

Target group:

1^st Semester Life Sciences students. More than 60 participants. Age: 18 to 40.

Situation Environment:

50% online-lecture, 50% face-to-face. Tasks for the students are part of a portfolio examination.

Methods:

At the beginning of the semester, only the first two SINCOE training videos are used. Students then evaluate their innovation skills using the SINCOE assessment tool. Detailed feedback on training videos and assessment tool is collected. The third SINCOE training video (Biases and how to avoid them) is then used as an addition to the usual course topics of perception and personality traits. After participating in these learning units the students assess themselves a second time using the SINCOE assessment tool, they compare their results of the first and the second assessment and discuss the reasons for any differences. Detailed feedback from students from students on third training video and self-assessment is collected and discussed.

Additional Methods:

Quasi-experiments – online and face-to-face - on the topic of perception and self-perception as a construction of reality.

Online group work (Mini-groups):
Personality traits according to dimensions such as duration/change and proximity/distance and their influence on collaboration situations and innovation processes.

Analysis of communication situations in video sequences, and comparison of protagonists´. behaviour with own behaviour tendencies in similar situations.

Objectives:  The aim of this Pilot was to raise students' awareness of the level of development of their skills in innovation, creativity, critical thinking and teamwork.

Methods: Challenge + SINCOE Survey

To carry out this Pilot, a face-to-face project was carried out through a “challenge” that lasted 6 weeks (1 session per week). This project was called “Social and Environmental Innovation Challenge” and was worked on in groups (5-7 students). 10 groups were formed.

Throughout the classroom sessions and the time spent at home, the students identified a social and environmental problem to which they could provide a robotic solution, designed and developed it, built their prototype and programmed it, and finally presented it to the rest of their classmates. Next, the classmates from the rest of the team (assessment team) and the teacher had to assess the work presented and give constructive feedback. The assessed group reflected on the comments received and, if they considered them appropriate, incorporated them as improvements to their project.

The stages of this dynamic were:

1. Problem Identification: Teams choose a relevant social or environmental problem that they want to address with robotics. It is important that the problem is current and sparks students' interest in making a positive impact. Technique used: Brainstorming.
2. Design and Development: Teams work on the design and development of a creative and effective robotic solution to solve the identified problem. They must consider aspects such as energy efficiency, the use of sustainable materials and the social impact of their project.
3. Prototyping and Programming: Students prototype their solution using the robotics and programming knowledge acquired in class. They must ensure that their robot can tackle the problem effectively and sustainably.
4. Presentation: Each team presents its project to its peers and a panel of evaluators, explaining the problem addressed, the proposed solution, the expected social and environmental impact, and the sustainability aspects considered in the design. Tool: Power Point.
5. Evaluation and Feedback: At the end of the presentations, the projects are evaluated based on their innovation, creativity, feasibility, social and environmental impact, and sustainability. Constructive feedback is provided to the teams to encourage continuous improvement and learning.
6. Reflection and improvement: Students reflect on the feedback received, considering how their solution could be developed or adapted to address the problem more effectively.

Once the challenge was completed, the students answered the SINCOE self-assessment survey of the skills covered in this Pilot .

Environment:

The Pilot was carried out in a compulsory subject, “Legal Framework in the Business” of the Degree in “Industrial Computing and Robotics”. This subject is worth 6 ECTS and is taught in the 2nd year and had 59 students enrolled. The majority of students in this degree are male. The content of this subject does not have an innovative and creative character, it is quite the opposite because it is a subject that deals with the legal framework of companies.

However, due to the type of degree, it is expected that these types of students will be innovative and creative because in their future they will be dedicated to developing solutions in the form of robots that are innovative and creative to add value to society

Role: Students

Motivation: Very positive attitude from all participants.

Assessment:

After filtering out incomplete responses, a total of 20 responses were obtained: 17 men and 3 women (34% participation)

Below are some of the key observations.

• There was a general comment about how long the survey was, which is why some of the students did not finish it.
• Most students consider themselves flexible to changing their tasks and also aware of the interrelation of dependence of some members on others when working together, as well as a collective assessment of the group with respect to an individual one.
• The results indicate the following order of development of each of the competencies analyzed:

CritThink > (Creativity = NW) > Innovation > Initiative > TW

Objectives:

This pilot focuses on this aspect of the SINCOE project:

-           Test the Self and Peer assessment tool SINCOE@ with students

In this pilot we want to:

-           Test the sincoe@ self and peer, and see what utility the students give it. Have data for the psychometric validation of the instrument. Check alternative methodologies to assess in self and peer (Compare sincoe@ results versus Belbin as the gold standard)

Methods:

We will use a highly participatory workshop methodology that will allow you to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes, but above all, to practice them frequently in the classroom so that you can receive feedback and develop actions to improve your competencies.

Environment:

In this course, we will focus on developing three transversal competencies of great relevance for professional success at present: teamwork, leadership, and communication. In line with the values expressed by several industrial companies with production plants in the province of Valencia, which regularly seek to hire people with engineering degrees in the industrial branch, we have adopted the following values to build the course culture:

* Teamwork

* Cooperation

* Passion/Commitment

* Integrity/Responsible decisions

* High performance

* Innovation (creativity, critical thinking, and initiative)

Among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed to achieve a more sustainable and better future, there is one goal especially related to the course: commitment to decent work (SDG 08)

The objectives of the course are:

* To be able to identify roles and behaviors in the team

* To improve your competence in giving oral presentations in multiple formats

* To demonstrate skills using various digital media to support communication, adapted to the situation and the audience

* To identify leadership styles and associated behaviors

* To be able to function effectively in a team

Role:

In this experiential learning initiative, the instructors assume the role of facilitators, mentors, and guides. They design and implement the participative workshops, fostering an environment that encourages active engagement, knowledge acquisition, skill development, and the practice of competencies.

The instructors facilitate classroom discussions, activities, and exercises that allow students to explore and apply concepts related to teamwork, leadership, and communication. They serve as mentors, offering personalized guidance and advice to students and encourage self-reflection, provide constructive feedback, and help students identify areas for improvement.

Additionally, the instructors help interpreting the data gathered from the Sincoe@ assessments and comparing it with other assessment methods like the Belbin model.

Motivation:

We want students cultivate self-awareness and self-reflection skills, enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of their individual strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth. This self-introspection not only fosters personal development but also equips them with the ability to effectively contribute to and thrive in collaborative team settings. By providing and receiving constructive feedback from their peers, students develop the ability to communicate effectively, build trust, and foster a culture of mutual support and accountability – essential skills for successful teamwork and collaboration in the modern workplace.

The data gathered from the Sincoe@ assessments would contribute to the psychometric validation of the instrument. And comparing the Sincoe@ results with the industry-recognized Belbin model, students develop critical thinking and analytical skills, enabling them to evaluate the strengths and limitations of different assessment methodologies.

Assessment:

To assess how students are able to function effectively in a team whose members together provide leadership and create a collaborative and inclusive environment in the organization; coordination of work and identify roles and skills to operate in multidisciplinary teams with different professional profiles; Collaborate proactively in the development of the work, establishing goals and meeting objectives, as well as contributing to the search for solutions to challenges or projects, demonstrating empathy and assertiveness when sharing ideas, reflections and arguments within collaborative work, we will use the Sincoe@ an the Diagnosis of teamwork roles based on Belbin.