Bringing Project-Based Learning into Renewable and Sustainable Energy Education: A Case Study on the Development of the Electric Vehicle EOLO

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in education for sustainable development (ESD). Although several national and international agencies, e.g., the UN or UNESCO, have promoted its deployment in higher education institutions, educators are still facing problems with how to articulate this type of education within the curriculum, allowing students to develop their technical and labor competencies, and soft skills as well. In this way, this study describes a methodology with Project-Based Learning in renewable and sustainable energies through the development of an electrical vehicle (EV) known as EOLO. This initiative arose from an industry-academia collaboration to develop the first Colombian EV with the support of solar and wind energy sources. Twelve engineering students participated in the development of the vehicle through a set of capstone projects over a year and a half with the support of two tutors (professors) and two engineers (technical staff) of the project. Additionally, two versions of EOLO with vertical and horizontal axis wind turbines were made with the cooperation of the students. The results evidence that the methodology helped to engage students, promoted meaningfully and situated learning through real-world problems in renewable energies, and fostered motivation and peer collaboration. Nonetheless, aspects such as the improvement of the communications channels, the revision of the complexity of the projects, the sense of community to achieve a common goal, or the tutoring and monitoring processes should be strengthened for further initiatives and/or active learning methodologies. In this sense, some challenges and recommendations that can help to develop methodologies that combine ESD and engineering are provided based on the experience in this study.