This paper presents the results of implementing innovative strategies using drones and 3D scanners in the specialization course Efficiency and Digitalization of Construction, aimed at undergraduate students of civil engineering and architecture. The course is offered as a specialization option among three alternatives in the penultimate semester of undergraduate programs in these fields: Sustainable Use of Water, Real Estate Intelligence, and Efficiency and Digitalization of Construction. It is delivered over an intensive 11 -week period, during which topics such as Structural Damage and Inspection Techniques, Structural Health Monitoring, Non-Destructive Testing, and Design for Durability are covered. In 2024, the course was attended by a group of 25 students from various campuses across the country. For the module on Structural Damage and Inspection Techniques, students engaged in traditional visual inspection activities of the campus stadium, identifying and qualitatively assessing damages using conventional management systems to evaluate damage severity. In contrast, a parallel activity was designed to implement advanced technologies, including 3D scanning with LiDAR and drones equipped with high-definition cameras, to identify and map damages. This technological approach enabled a quantitative and highly precise evaluation of damage severity through image analysis. When comparing these instructional strategies, incorporating technology and innovation into the cited module, students expressed, through end-of-course surveys, high motivation toward developing and researching technological solutions. They also recognized the importance of integrating high-precision technology into the evaluation and diagnosis of existing infrastructure. At the conclusion of the course activities, students and faculty prepared and submitted a technical report to campus administrators, detailing their findings and results. This report is expected to contribute to future maintenance and conservation projects, thus closing the cycle of specialization activities by observing the execution of physical interventions on the inspected stadium. Faculty members plan to continue these activities with the next cohort in the following academic year, allowing for the monitoring of damage progression and ensuring continuity in learning outcomes.

The development of competencies is vital in academic training, especially in engineering, where technical, collaborative, and multidisciplinary skills are essential. However, assessing these competencies in team projects poses challenges, primarily in distinguishing individual contributions, leading to potentially subjective evaluations. Differences in students' skill levels further complicate this process. Despite these difficulties, collaborative work is crucial for building the professional and multicultural skills needed in today's global job market. This research introduces an innovative evaluation strategy to better assess individual contributions within teams. The methodology includes a two-phase individual questionnaire. In the first phase, students outline a solution to a problem in defined steps to ensure comprehensive involvement and understanding. They then correct an intentionally misformulated question, demonstrating their ability to identify and justify corrections. The second phase involves exercises to assess students' grasp of key theoretical concepts applied during their projects. Results showed a more balanced grade distribution and diverse competency development compared to previous semesters. This indicated that not all students develop competencies uniformly, emphasizing the need for tailored teaching and assessment. This study also opens paths for future research on promoting women's participation in STEM, with a focus on equitable development strategies in team settings. (Abstract)

In this paper we present a challenge-based teaching model for a special diploma in the Civil Engineering program in our University. The duration of the specialization Diploma is a full semester, usually during the fall term for the seventh semester of the eight-semester program. The program serves as a minor for students of mainly Civil Engineering but Architecture students can also be enrolled. The competencies developed during the eighteen weeks that the term lasts are associated with Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), detection of damage in structures and testing of structures using non-destructive techniques. The diploma covers the theoretical aspects associated with SHM and non-destructive techniques and several sessions of experiments in different labs of the university or from industry-certified labs. A total of 46 students have taken part of this diploma in the years 2022 and 2023 and the results of these implementations are included in this paper. Towards the end of the eighteen week course, students are given a challenge to apply the knowledge on a real structure. For this purpose, two different bridges located in our campus were prepared for the instrumentation and experiments designed by the different teams of students. The implementation of this diploma includes the collaboration with the Mexican Institute of Transportation, and some of its experts taught several modules and led the experiments in their facilities. Results of a survey answered by students show that their perception is a very positive one and students did achieve the desired competencies included in the design of the course. We present this work that could be use as an example of Challenge Based courses, Specialization semesters or minors for Engineering Programs.

A Virtual Reality (VR) ambiance can simulate real-world scenarios and problems, allowing students to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical situations. The design of the VR ambiance should align with the learning objectives and provide relevant challenges and tasks that require students to use their computer technology skills to solve problems. A well-designed VR ambiance can encourage exploration and creativity in computer technology students. By providing a virtual space that allows experimentation and innovation, students can explore different approaches, test ideas, and think creatively when solving problems. This paper studies how students and professors evaluated the development of competencies during an extracurricular project for the development of a virtual interactive environment for learning a process. Designing an interactive virtual environment will require the implementation of various interactive elements, such as 3D objects, user interfaces, and animations. Students can apply their programming skills to create the necessary functionality in the virtual environment. To create an attractive and easy-to-use virtual environment, students will need to consider UX design principles. In this case, the competencies to be measured were: Solving problems generating efficient computational algorithms under models and tools of computer science and developing software applying process and quality standards of Software Engineering. To assess compliance with the development of competencies, it was decided to develop an interactive virtual environment; this is a process that involves several stages, from conceptualization to implementation and testing. The objectives of the virtual environment were established. In this case, it was decided to develop an environment that would help the user learn how to change a flat tire. A plan was created detailing how users will interact with the virtual environment. Early results show that more than 50% of the students outstandingly developed problem-solving competence, additionally, if we add the students who obtained a solid evaluation, the percentage of students who developed the competence in a more than acceptable way would go up to 93%. These results, also show that more than 70% of the students outstandingly developed software development competence. In addition, if we add the students who obtained a solid evaluation, the percentage of students who developed competence in a more than acceptable way would rise to 92%.

This paper presents the results of students and professors perceptions on the use of Artificial Intelligence Tools in their Courses and how universities should include them in the design of new courses. The paper also explores what students think about the future of University Education given the apparition of tools such as ChatGPT. A survey was answered by a group of 100 students enrolled in the Civil Engineering Program of our university. The courses of the students were from the Structural Engineering discipline, in which strong analytical skills are required. The results graphs show the perception of students to the use of AI Tools in this type of courses and how they see the future of teaching, from the students’ point of view.

This is an evidence-based paper that explores the impact of Game Based Learning (GBL) in the development of specific skills of Lean Thinking in Senior Engineering students. A card game was designed to generate discussion in situations that required problem solving skills. Later, it was implemented with 178 Senior Students of Engineering Programs in Tecnologico de Monterrey, enrolled in Fall period of 2023. The analysis of results uses a mixed qualitative – quantitative quasi – experiment, in which results present evidence of a mindset transformation of students, from considering Lean as a toolbox, to visualize it as a philosophy.

To evaluate the risk of a working posture is to analyze the risk of injuries that such postures could cause to a worker by performing an activity in such posture for a period of time. There are many methods to evaluate this: OWAS, VIRA, REBA or MAC. The time to evaluate the risk in a posture can be of such magnitude that an analyst could take as long as days to present the solution to one posture, not counting the time to implement that solution. In this paper we analyze how the use of Augmented Reality can make the whole process from the analysis of the risk to the implementation of a solution in a more efficient way by reducing the time of the analysis to minutes without sacrificing the accuracy of such analysis. Results prove that this accuracy does not reduces when implementing an augmented reality app to make the analysis by using a camera to view an analyze the working posture

From March 2019 through September 2021, most universities in our country had to turn into an online model in all the courses and programs. When students started to attend the lectures in September 2021, the universities implemented a hybrid model, having simultaneously students on-line and face-to-face. The teachers and lecturers since then have faced the challenge to pay the same level of attention to on-line and face-to-face students. Both types of students are getting the same information, the same material, and the same activities so we are questioning the level of knowledge acquired and competencies developed in the different attending circumstances. After at least one academic period attending lectures “on-line” or “face-to-face”, students enrolled in the Civil Engineering program between 6ththrough 8thsemester, answered polls and surveys that provided the information about their perception on the level of attention received, knowledge acquired, and the competencies developed. The objective of this paper is to obtain the students’ perception of the effectiveness of the hybrid method for acquiring knowledge and basic concepts regarding the disciplinary competencies within the subject's topic, so we asked them for their perception in a qualitative manner to understand how they are interpreting and understanding the need of these hybrid models.

In this work we present the results of implementing a challenge-based model for the teaching of a course of Structural Analysis. The course was taught in two different campuses, in two different cities of Mexico. Given the different local conditions, one group was taught in a hybrid-model with face to face sessions on campus, whereas the other group was fully online during the five week period of this intensive course. The model includes work with an industry partner that evaluates the solutions proposed by teams of students to a given real case scenario, in this case, the analysis of a warehouse roof structure under gravity loads and wind loads. Results on the perception of students regarding the implementation of the challenge based model are included, as well as some important elements of the model. A total of 52 students took the course during the fall semester of 2021 and the results shown in this work include the answers to a set of questions that students were given at the end of the course. The participation of the strategic partner from industry enhanced the overall experience of students and professors.

The main objective of this paper is to present the best practices, according to the perception of students, applied during the lock down terms as well as introducing a model that can be applied after the pandemic when students return to campuses gradually, especially in countries like ours where still not all students are on campus as of fall of 2021. In some countries the vaccination efforts are slow and universities will continue to rely on online teaching if not for all, for some courses. This model adapts for either full face to face classes or fully online or hybrid classes. Results show that there are important lessons or things that the lock-down left to universities and educators, and as students confirm their will to continue to have some of their courses in the online format, universities should consider not closing the option of online teaching. The model presented in this paper also takes into account students’ comments and recommendations about the future implementations of online courses and what they would like to see in them, even if they are going to be on campus.

In the last years there has been an increment in the implementation of specialized virtual simulation software for engineering education. The main reason is the diversification towards different formats of learning such as online learning, blended learning, on-demand learning, among others. Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of using virtual simulation tools (such as game engines) for improving the learning outcomes in engineering courses. In the construction industry the most important virtual simulation software tool is Building Information Modeling (BIM). Even though the potential benefits of implementing BIM and game engines for educational purposes, there is no evidence of studies that implements both technologies together. In this study we develop a methodology for integrating BIM and game engines for engineering online learning for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) education. This study demonstrates: 1) the technical affordability for implementing advanced simulation tools for a construction course, and 2) the benefits of implementing such technologies for improving the learning experience of the students. The context of the development and implementation of the described methodology is in the framework of deployment of the new educational model Tec21 in national AEC higher education programs in the university Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico.

In this paper we present a methodology based in simple constructions for the solution of scaled real problem situations. This methodology was used during the pandemic terms in our university in the years 2020 and 2021. The first objective of this work is vocational orientation of future Mechanical, Industrial and Innovation Engineers. The second objective was to develop competences in students of the fifth and sixth semesters of a high school level. In order to achieve these objectives a process that includes challenges and problem situations was established. These challenges and problem situations cover vocational orientation and some pre-defined competences. A total of 300 students participated in these activities during one year and half, during lock down conditions and over 100 students in the new normality conditions on campus. Results show that the objectives were fulfilled and the activities contributed in the attraction of more students into Engineering programs.

The number of women in Science, Technology and Engineering programs has been of interests in the last decades. In any country, the topic can include many factors such as low working opportunities, peer pressure and the opportunity to access a high-quality education. In recent years, efforts have been made worldwide to improve the number of women in higher education and particularly, in engineering programs. In this paper we analyze the situation in the Southern Region of Mexico, which according to official data from the Mexican Government, shows the lowest indicators for women participation in higher education. The paper presents a dynamic model construction and simulation that helps understand what is needed to assure a more and equal participation of women in engineering programs of two different campuses of the same university in this region of the country.

During the academic periods of the year 2020, the academic curricula around the world have had to endure important changes in terms of the activities performed in class due to the new format of online classes. Civil Engineering curricula has not been the exception. A key factor of the Civil Engineering program is the capability of attending construction sites. With the contingency, the acquisitions of construction site visits permits have become more difficult to obtain due to the high health risk involving a large number of people in the same place. Lecturers also had to consider that some of the students have returned to their cities of origin as a consequence of the online classes. Therefore, constructions site visits were no longer an option. We are proposing a virtual lab for construction site visits that overcomes all the obstacles created by the contingency period and also present it as a viable alternative for the new normality that we are going to face in the early stages of the reincorporation to face-to-face classes. With this virtual lab, students will be able to have a completely interactive experience, with possibilities of live interaction and access that allows lecturers to maintain all the characteristics that will allow the students to achieve the expected level of competencies in their academic program with the help of technological tools. We studied the perception of 121 undergraduate students about these virtual site visits. After the visits, students were asked to fill an online survey that consisted in 18 questions in which they evaluated different aspects of the visit, from technical to academical elements. It was concluded that the virtual lab is a successful activity to enhance the students' competencies.

In this paper, a hybrid model for teaching Engineering Mechanics courses is presented. The model was applied during the year 2020 in which all the courses in our university had to move to an online format. Some recommendations are given for future implementations of hybrid models that work both, for on campus teaching and for online teaching in the new normality The results show that overall, the implementation of the model was successful and some indicators like student satisfaction and the students' performance are high.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is arguably the most important and promising ICT applied in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. One of the most important dimensions of BIM is its implementation for Virtual Reality (VR) to simulate and interact inside virtual environments of construction projects. The benefits of using BIM and VR with educational purposes has been explored recently by separate, however there is no evidence of an approach that develops and implements both technologies together. The research in this study is the first one in developing the framework for the implementation of a user-friendly BIM-VR software application with specific pedagogical objectives for AEC education. This study demonstrates that the development of this high-tech educative tool aims to: 1) make more effective use of learning hours through playful interaction with BIM models, and 2) improve understanding of abstract complex concepts that are difficult to explain theoretically. The implementation of this technological tool is developed in the context of national AEC higher education programs in a university in Mexico. In this study, the effectiveness of using a collaborative BIM-VR tool as a didactic method for AEC is demonstrated. Also, this study demonstrates that the learning experience can be improved using BIM-VR.

The use of laboratories on Campus during the current year 2020 has been difficult due to the global covidl9 pandemic. Using the experience of some challenges developed in past years during a week called the “i-week” in our institution we developed a methodology to apply the same challenges but with remote access to a manufacturing cell made of educational robot kits. The operation of these robots through the internet has allowed students to continue their programs without having to be at the university campus. The results show that remote labs with educational robots can be a good alternative when the pandemic conditions do not allow for on-campus activities.

In this paper, a model for teaching Structural Mechanics courses is presented. The model incorporates the use of a new teaching space as well as flipped-learning and collaborative activities including video production by the students. The results show that overall, the results show that the model improves students’ satisfaction and more importantly, it has a positive effect on students’ passing rate.

The integration of Circular Economy (CE) principles into higher education programs can be seen as an important step in achieving true sustainability in higher education. Even though the adoption of CE in higher education has improved in recent years, there has been little research about the effective integration of CE principles into academic programs. The aim of this paper is to present an analysis of the redesign and restructuring of an undergraduate construction management course integrated with CE principles as a methodology to impart sustainable development (SD) competencies; this research was done within the framework of the Tec21 educational model that has been in the process of implementation in the Tecnologico of Monterrey university system throughout its 26 campuses in Mexico. Although the new educational model calls for the development of SD competencies, among others, there is no information available on the current status of the integration of CE principles into bachelor-level courses in Construction Management. Therefore, this study contributes to research by providing a detailed analysis and documentation of the design process for the efficient incorporation of CE principles into such a course. The results of the study show that it is necessary to incorporate CE principles into the structure of course content in order to develop the SD competencies that are demanded by industry now and in the future.

This contribution provides empirical evidence with information of 113 students of Engineering in Tecnologico de Monterrey, that supports the positive conditional relationship among Mastery Learning Activities and the final test’s score in a Statistics course. As well, it shows that good performance in the final test is related with continuous rehearse of medium and hard complexity Mastery Learning Activities, in contrast to poor performance students who focus in easy complexity activities and minimize the number of rehearsing attempts.

The number of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine (STEMM) programs has been of interest in the last decades. For developing countries the topic can include other factors such as cultural ones and the role of women in society. In recent years, efforts have been made worldwide to improve the number of women in higher education and particularly, in STEM programs.In this paper we analyze the situation in the Southern Region of Mexico, which according to official data from the Mexican Government, shows the lowest ranking in the human development index (HDI) and the lowest indicators for women participation in higher education [1]. This work analyzes the results for a survey applied to a group of women who are current students or alumni of our university regarding how their experience was in the admission process and once they were already students of our School of Engineering. The admission process is presented in detail and after the analysis of the survey, some suggestions are given for what has worked for our university when attracting more women into Engineering programs.

Assuring and measuring how a competence is developed in an academic ambience is not an easy task. This work presents an analysis of how a group of people acknowledges and evaluates how a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach around a specific problematic situation helps to develop a group of competences. The measuring of a competence has two actors: the first is the designer of the activity to develop such competence and the second is the performer of the activity. This work focuses on the second actor. In such case, the problematic situation was the design of a 3D interactive virtual environment to help people learn a simple task such as changing a flat tire. This work presents a qualitative analysis of how a sample of 37 students acknowledge the development of four competences according to four levels. These levels vary from basic to high achiever. The results indicate that the students acknowledge a high level of developing such competences, which proves that these type of activities are an important approach to help not only students but people in general to assure that they have achieved a certain level of a competence.

This paper shows the development, implementation and results of an i-Semester, as part of the new educational model launch by Tecnologico de Monterrey, linked to the current needs of the automotive industry, whose companies are located throughout the Mexican Republic. The i-Semester program is described as an undergraduate training program, aimed to the development of disciplinary and transversal outcomes, defined by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, through industrial experiences and real-life applications. It is explained how the i-Semester was applied to an automotive industry challenge, where the student was involved in design, analysis and validation of components for the automotive industry. Explaining the work scheme, the modules with learning content, as well as the development of the industrial challenge. This work explains the experience in two editions of i-Semester in conjunction with a training partner, the automaker company Volkswagen de México. Thirty-eight students of Automotive Design Engineering and Mechatronic Engineering careers were immersed for 18-week periods, during spring and fall 2017 each one, into instruction from the teachers, professional workshops within the company and real-life experience to solve on real-life industry problem. Six teachers from the university and five engineers from the company served as mentors, giving feedback to students looking to solve the industrial problem. The second part of the paper explains how the evaluation tools were developed and implemented. As a conclusion, comments are made on the implementation challenges, opportunities, advantages and disadvantages that this new model has with respect to the traditional education scheme.

Distance education is an important tool in current education; this paper focuses on the validation of the experience and the assessment by students for a teaching methodology in a real-time distance format. The methodology covers a series of elements such as the introduction of a single teacher type, a transformed teaching space and relevant aspects of distance courses. The results reveal how the flexibility and usefulness of the course format are relevant elements for the students' experience. The general conclusions of this study describe how a real-time distance course can be an area of opportunity for educational innovation in university courses.

In this paper, a teaching model that makes use of a YouTube video repository for Engineering courses is presented. Some results show the preference of students of such a model over traditional teaching models that use live video. The proposed offline model with a video repository is presented as a better alternative for Engineering courses, improving aspects as students satisfaction and above all, the performance of students in Structural Mechanics courses where the model was implemented.