International and Multidisciplinary Experiences in Engineering Courses at UNAM

A team of faculty members from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) has coordinated multidisciplinary courses in collaboration with universities from other countries. The team, who is composed by faculty from the School of Engineering and the School of Architecture, coordinates with pairs of Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, and the Technical University of Munich; to teach three particular design courses.All three courses are related to product innovation but they have different emphasis depending on the collaborating partner. The focal points of each of the three courses are: (1) innovation, (2) user centered design and sustainability and (3) transport in megacities of the future.Engineering and industrial design students are involved in the courses. They are organized in teams that include participants from the two collaborating universities. During the courses teams carry out projects working mostly at a distance; they use different means of communication and information sharing and also pay reciprocal visits between the universities involved in the collaboration.This paper describes each of the three courses highlighting their particular characteristics. The outcomes and results of the courses and specific projects are commented. In the end of the paper lessons learned are discussed and final remarks are presented.Copyright © 2012 by ASME