Design and Development of a Mobile App as a Learning Strategy in Engineering Education

The goal of the present innovation is to give engineering students an innovative educational experience through their natural engagement with mobile devices. It aims to motivate the integration of technology in the teaching-learning process where students design, develop and use a mobile app in order to build up knowledge in Thermodynamics. It also enhances their level of domain of soft skills such as teamwork, creativity, self-management, analytical, abstract and critical thinking. This work suggests the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to develop Open Educational Resources (OERs), which could be helpful in the teaching-learning process of Equilibrium Thermodynamics (ET). During 2016, chemical and biotechnology engineering students from ITESM CEM developed a mobile app to facilitate the comprehension of physicochemical phenomena of phase equilibria. Its design and implementation was the result of a four-step process: 1. Selection of the technologic platform; 2. Definition of thematic content; 3. Creative process for the design and information setup; and 4. Development of the app. Results of this study show quantitatively that implementing technology-based learning experiences as a learning tool has a positive impact on the educational performance and skills development of students. It was learnt that the student’s performance was influenced by the type of technology selected and promoted the development of distinct skills and the construction of knowledge in different levels of domain.