Case-Method Approach In Master Studies: Application In The Subject Of Wastes And Polluted Soils

In the interest of applying active learning methodologies, the students of the Wastes and Polluted Soils module of the Master's degrees in Civil Engineering of the University of Oviedo participated in an applied activity following the case-method approach. Through interdisciplinary working groups, students had to outline a preliminary design with proposals for the regeneration of the main abandoned industrial areas (brownfields) located along Nalon River basin (Asturias, Spain). The points to be addressed were: the environmental regeneration (including soil remediation techniques) of the site, the definition of the future land uses, and the technical and economic feasibility of the proposal. The different proposals were evaluated by an examination panel of subject matter experts. The results obtained revealed that the student's interest in the subject increased, probably due to the practical approach of the active methodology used. Additionally, a selected number of proposals were published in the form of a scientific article, thus developing the scientific thinking and writing skills of the students.