Model to integrate industrial engineering curriculum in Mercosur

Abstract

The international cooperation process integrates the teaching and research functions giving universities
an openness towards internationalization. In recent years, two Mercosur countries, Argentina and Brazil
have pointed out government efforts to create spaces for inter-university cooperation through teaching
and student mobility. In this context, Engineering is an relevant discipline for industrial development and productive innovation. To boost it, it is necessary to strengthen the training process of students and
professors to achieve a professional with performance competencies in international environments.
For this purpose two Argentine and one Brazilian universities established a joint process of mobility
and international integration of the Industrial Engineering career, with the main objective of presenting
the design and implementation of an international cooperation model for the Integration of Curricular
Industrial Engineering that allows training Industrial Engineers with important professional characteristics
for success. The model is driven by a starting point (drivers), to then start an iterative cycle of activities
(represented by various actions), to achieve a scientific result and curriculum integration (output). The
results obtained are knowledge exchange, experiences in learning methods and cultural and industrial
activities (teaching area); the opportunity of exchange, discussion of concepts and tools related to
this program (student environment) and international comparison of Industrial Engineering curricula
(institutional scope). In the future it is proposed the achievement of an integrated curriculum in Industrial
Engineering for all the interested parties including the regional industry.