Training strategies from the undergraduate degree in chemical engineering focused on bioprocesses using PBL in the last decade

Global engineering education addresses the development of professional competencies in undergraduates to prepare professionals capable of solving complex technical problems under social, environmental, and economic challenges. In this work, training was carried out to incorporate the bioprocess research of the chemical engineering students at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellin, Colombia, using a project-based learning methodology (PBL). An open call was made to the students, and they were challenged to build a prototype which they had to support together with a written report as evidence for their admission to the research hotbed and assign them research projects in bioprocesses. In the last decade, 276 students participated in the hotbed generating 21 conference presentations, four software, 14 research articles, and 16 academic awards. In parallel, a survey was conducted to analyze the perception of graduates participating in the hotbed according to a list of 17 competency criteria relevant to the chemical engineering program. It was found that the average perception is at the highest levels (4−5), which indicates that most of the graduates value the significant contribution made by the CIBIOT hotbed to the development of a professional in experimentation, communication, and acquisition of new knowledge.