Education research papers by Jaume Gual
8th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI2015), 2015
The presentation of industrial products from different fields (packaging, web and photography) is... more The presentation of industrial products from different fields (packaging, web and photography) is crucial because it influences the emotional response of the user and differentiates our product from the competition. In the third year of the Engineering in Industrial Design and Product Development Bachelor's Degree at the Universitat Jaume I, the compulsory subject 'Product presentation' deals with the study of several media to publicize the products, offering the students appropriate tools to ensure correct presentations according to the nature and usual target of each product. Although good results of attendance and performance are obtained in this subject, in recent years low motivation has been perceived in students when addressing the different practical works, since they do not offer a real intellectual challenge and are barely related to real problems that should face an industrial designer. This article presents the results of an educational improvement project that aims to continue the last three projects implemented in this subject. In order to solve the low motivation of students several measures have been applied with great success, such as changing the focus of practical work and relate it to participation in public contexts on product design, combine classes with lectures by professional designers, and enhance the visibility and dissemination of student's work through digital platforms and exhibitions on design. The paper concludes by analyzing the positive impact of the application of this new methodology.
ICERI2016 Proceedings. 9th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, 2016
Learning to relate the different theoretical contents and apply them to solve real problems in th... more Learning to relate the different theoretical contents and apply them to solve real problems in the field of design can enrich the formative stage of students. Project-based learning is a creative methodology to integrate different knowledge acquired in various subjects to obtain a viable solution to complex problems. Besides, if the problems are proposed by real design companies it can be an additional stimulus to the students, who will see their work focused on solving real cases.
This paper describes the methodology carried out in a subject of Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design and Product Development Engineering at the Jaume I University, in order to encourage students’ motivation and improve their performance. This work describes how some activities have been adapted to change the format of teaching to project-based learning, promoting participation in design contests and inviting renowned professional designers to enrich and strengthen the training of students. Finally, the positive results of the improvement are described and their impact on the overall performance of students is measured.
ICERI2019 Proceedings, 2019
The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss the experience under the methodology of Desi... more The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss the experience under the methodology of Design Thinking, using a workshop format. This workshop, which took place on October 18th and 19th, 2018, in the BUC (Biblioteca Urbana del Coneixement) building in Vila-real, was attended by about a hundred students who had been displaced from the EASD in Valencia. The objective was to create an artistic work for the municipality of Vila-real with the students collaboration. Design Thinking methodology was implemented to carry out the artistic work. The ultimate goal was not only to get an idea, it was important to build it. The students were able to follow the manufacturing process in collaboration with the Krion TM company that offered their Solid Surface product, which possibilities in design terms this company is currently exploring. This was done in the following months, as the manufacture required its time.
Packaging design: learning through fictional cases or real cases? Comparative study of student performance over 8 academic years
11th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies (EDULEARN 19), 2019
In the practical subjects of the Degrees in Industrial Design students usually apply theoretical ... more In the practical subjects of the Degrees in Industrial Design students usually apply theoretical knowledge to solve complex cases, but in many occasions these cases are only fictional. However, it is also possible to provide students with cases that respond to real needs, and on many occasions, it is the companies that propose them through contests. Numerous experiences endorse the Competition-Based Learning (CBL) as a working methodology that improves the motivation of the students. But it is worth asking to what extent this motivation achieves a significant improvement in student performance. This paper hypothesizes that the performance of industrial design students is higher when they work to solve real cases than when they have to solve fictional cases. To demonstrate it, the average grades obtained during 8 academic years in a subject related to packaging are compared. Between 2011 and 2014, students were presented with a fictional case in which it was necessary to solve a specific need for a new type of packaging. Between 2015 and 2018 a similar exercise was planned, but based on real cases proposed by companies in the sector. In both cases, the exercise was planned during the central weeks of the semester, the students were given a similar period of time to develop them (around 4 weeks), and they were evaluated according to similar criteria. The results of this study show that the orientation of the exercises towards real cases through participation in contests seems to have a slight positive influence on student performance (+3.25%), so it is possible to demonstrate that the incorporation of CBL as a teaching methodology is generally positive for design students, given that it improves both their motivation and the quality of their proposals and has a positive impact on their performance.
Construction of scale models in industrial design: the irruption of additive manufacturing. Rubrics proposal for an objective evaluation
11th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies (EDULEARN 19), 2019
Recent studies corroborate the progressive implementation of Additive Manufacturing technologies ... more Recent studies corroborate the progressive implementation of Additive Manufacturing technologies (commonly known as 3D printing) in education, demonstrating several advantages. In the field of industrial design, the development of models during the design phase of product design helps designers in training to visualize their proposals. Today, 3D printing and traditional model-making techniques coexist in classrooms. With both techniques it is possible to achieve good results, but when it comes to evaluating them it is not so simple, since both ways of working are different and apparently the same evaluation criteria cannot be used in both cases, which could lead to comparative grievances. This work presents a series of rubrics that can help to evaluate the student's models in an objective way and under equal conditions, independently of the technique used: traditional o 3D printing. In order to do this, we started from a rubric made to evaluate traditional models, which was tested during a couple of academic years in another subject. This rubric was adapted to create a new rubric, which allowed to evaluate models made by 3D printing, looking for equivalent criteria with the previous rubric to guarantee a fair evaluation of both ways of working. The rubrics were tested experimentally in the subject ‘Prototypes: experimental workshop’, taught during the 4th year of the Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design and Product Development Engineering at the Universitat Jaume I (Spain). Two groups of users assessed each work using these rubrics. The results showed, on the one hand, that both groups found it easy to evaluate the works using these rubrics, and on the other hand, that these rubrics allow for a fairly objective evaluation of the works, since the score obtained by both groups of users was very similar.
Adapting the diploma in industrial design engineering to the new European Higher Education framework
INTED2010 Proceedings. ISBN 978-84-613-5538-9, 2010
Traditional short-cycle degrees, such as the Diploma in Industrial Design Engineering (DIDE), cur... more Traditional short-cycle degrees, such as the Diploma in Industrial Design Engineering (DIDE), currently face a fresh challenge in the new European Higher Education Area (EHEA) which could possibly improve students’ education in the future. The new Degree in Industrial Design and Product Development Engineering will be more complete from the student’s learning perspective as it will last four academic years instead of the three of the present format. Furthermore, the contents of this new degree will be similar to those of the diploma, but more focused on competences.
However, the various pilot projects carried out in recent years within the DIDE suggest that students’ dedication is below teachers’ foreseen ideal planning. This disparity may come about by teachers’ planning and by the way students organise the time they set aside for studying. All in all, this is the first problem to overcome when it comes to designing and planning this new degree. The present article intends to study and analyse this situation with the data obtained from the several European harmonisation pilot projects.
Using tools based on virtual learning environments: evaluation of experiences in the field of brand design
EDULEARN10 Proceedings. ISBN 978-84-613-9386-2, 2010
"The new model of teaching and learning promoted by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is ... more "The new model of teaching and learning promoted by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is aimed at the acquisition of skills and abilities. Many of the theoretical materials have been taught in universities with methodologies based almost exclusively on teacher's oral presentation of the contents (face-to-face interaction). Of course, some issues related to teaching the basics of design, although theoretical, require a practical approach in order to deepen certain aspects and thus achieve a better consolidation of knowledge.
An education based on the acquisition of competences means that students must have a range of tools to work and interact with information in different ways towards acquisition of practical skills. Thus, virtual learning environments (VLEs) provide students with additional resources that perfectly complement the theoretical contents explained by the teacher in classroom, while facilitating the coordination between people when doing group work.
This paper explores the advantages of the VLE "Virtual Classroom" for teaching, developed at Universitat Jaume I of Castellón (Spain). Through analysis of different case studies conducted in the current academic year 2009-10 is possible to evaluate the success of using this platform by students and teachers in the field of design, and thus to define specific guidelines to improve the introduction of new technologies for building a more appropriate blended learning."
Comparative analysis of different grades in Design implemented under the European High Education Area
INTED2010 Proceedings. ISBN: 978-84-613-9386-2, 2010
The implementation of the Degree in Industrial Design and Product Development Engineering has sta... more The implementation of the Degree in Industrial Design and Product Development Engineering has started in Spain. This new degree is focused on education based on competences acquisition, a factor that will help students to improve their professional skills development. In this sense, 2009 has been an important year in starting the process leading towards the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The first objective of this paper is to analyse the “state of the art” of the various existing Design Degrees in the European Union. From this point, the second objective is to perform an analysis of the different approaches made to address the same subject: university education in the area of product design knowledge. Finally, this paper aims to compare the grades already implemented at the European Union and the grades existing in Spain, in terms of structure, skills and teaching methodology, among others, in order to determine what degree of harmonization occur between them.
Study about the perception of the product and its packaging: analysis of differences in order to adjust the syllabus of subjects related to packaging design in different European Degrees
EDULEARN11 Proceedings. ISBN: 978-84-615-0441-1, 2011
In the period of adaptation to the European Higher Education Area it is necessary to undertake re... more In the period of adaptation to the European Higher Education Area it is necessary to undertake regular reviews of both the form and the content of subjects taught in the new European Degrees. Some of these subjects have the particularity to share contents and be taught by the same teachers in different Degrees. Such is the case of the subjects "Product Presentation", which is taught as a compulsory subject in the Degree in Industrial Design and Product Development, and the subject "Packaging and product image", given as an optional subject in the Degree in Advertising and Public Relations, both from the Universitat Jaume I of Castellón.
It is clear that although both subjects share the same content and require the same skills, will be necessary to adapt the syllabus to the specific particularities of each Degree. It is therefore important to know how the different backgrounds of these students affects their perception of the packaging and its relationship with the product. This knowledge will help us to identify which parts of the syllabus must be strengthened or modified in each case, in order to suit the skills of each Degree.
This paper describes the parallel surveys conducted in the two Degrees mentioned above, on how students perceive different types of products in relation to its packaging. The results of this research show similarities in some aspects and differences in others, by distinguishing different ratings for the importance of the communicative or technical-functional aspects of the packaging. This process allowed us to transfer new knowledge to practice teaching in each Degree, being able to justify several changes and reorient the syllabus of these subjects for implementation in next courses.
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Education research papers by Jaume Gual
This paper describes the methodology carried out in a subject of Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design and Product Development Engineering at the Jaume I University, in order to encourage students’ motivation and improve their performance. This work describes how some activities have been adapted to change the format of teaching to project-based learning, promoting participation in design contests and inviting renowned professional designers to enrich and strengthen the training of students. Finally, the positive results of the improvement are described and their impact on the overall performance of students is measured.
However, the various pilot projects carried out in recent years within the DIDE suggest that students’ dedication is below teachers’ foreseen ideal planning. This disparity may come about by teachers’ planning and by the way students organise the time they set aside for studying. All in all, this is the first problem to overcome when it comes to designing and planning this new degree. The present article intends to study and analyse this situation with the data obtained from the several European harmonisation pilot projects.
An education based on the acquisition of competences means that students must have a range of tools to work and interact with information in different ways towards acquisition of practical skills. Thus, virtual learning environments (VLEs) provide students with additional resources that perfectly complement the theoretical contents explained by the teacher in classroom, while facilitating the coordination between people when doing group work.
This paper explores the advantages of the VLE "Virtual Classroom" for teaching, developed at Universitat Jaume I of Castellón (Spain). Through analysis of different case studies conducted in the current academic year 2009-10 is possible to evaluate the success of using this platform by students and teachers in the field of design, and thus to define specific guidelines to improve the introduction of new technologies for building a more appropriate blended learning."
It is clear that although both subjects share the same content and require the same skills, will be necessary to adapt the syllabus to the specific particularities of each Degree. It is therefore important to know how the different backgrounds of these students affects their perception of the packaging and its relationship with the product. This knowledge will help us to identify which parts of the syllabus must be strengthened or modified in each case, in order to suit the skills of each Degree.
This paper describes the parallel surveys conducted in the two Degrees mentioned above, on how students perceive different types of products in relation to its packaging. The results of this research show similarities in some aspects and differences in others, by distinguishing different ratings for the importance of the communicative or technical-functional aspects of the packaging. This process allowed us to transfer new knowledge to practice teaching in each Degree, being able to justify several changes and reorient the syllabus of these subjects for implementation in next courses.