Tux and the project that’s the “champion” of engineering education

Imagine learning online and finding that a plush toy penguin was the assistant to an expert civil engineering professor during your class.

These two are Tux, the Linux mascot, and Miguel Xicoténcatl Rodríguez Paz, a.k.a. Dr. X, a Tec de Monterrey professor and well-known YouTuber, who has more than 38,000 followers from around the world.

Dr. X recently won an award at EDUCON 2021, an event organized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

“It’s something I’ve been working on for years. I’ve experimented with techniques that take advantage of digital social networks, particularly YouTube, to facilitate learning in subjects often thought to be complicated or difficult, such as Structures in Architecture and Civil Engineering.”

The Champions League of education

EDUCON, which was held in April in Vienna, Austria, is often thought of as the “Champions League” of education, being the best Engineering Education conference in Europe.

Its rigorous selection process meant that only 270 entries from more than 600 around the world were presented at this year’s conference.

Each paper accepted by EDUCON is subjected to scholarly peer review, and the papers it publishes are added to the important Scopus database.

“The title of our project is ‘A Hybrid and Flexible Teaching Model for Engineering Courses Suitable for Pandemic Conditions towards the New Normality’. It was recognized as the Most Innovative Paper regarding Engineering Education.”

The birth of an innovative project

Dr. X explains that his project began several years ago, with the aim of motivating students through new learning formats. Later, because of the pandemic, the project was modified and adapted for online teaching.

“It all started in 2017, as a long-term project from the research group in educational innovation at the School of Engineering and Sciences. The group also works on other projects such as using virtual and augmented reality for skills development.”

Dr. X confesses that, although students adapted quickly to the project, it was difficult at first to convince them to participate in a different teaching model.

“In semesters prior to the pandemic, we had to work to convince students that using videos could be of benefit to them. Now, the courses using this model are filled within hours of registration opening.”

A big challenge for Dr. X was finding the time to record additional material, so he would use empty classrooms on weekends to record videos for his courses.

Dr. X’s team

Jorge González Mendivil, Israel Zamora Hernández, and Benjamín Sánchez Andrade, professors at the School of Engineering and Sciences (EIC) on Puebla campus, are co-authors of the winning project.

They each submitted individual papers at EDUCON 2021. As a group, they discuss ideas and results and work together on NOVUS projects.

Since 2012, Tec de Monterrey initiative NOVUS has provided financial support to projects in which more than 1,200 professors have participated so far.

The team applying the winning model has some unusual “assistants”. These are plush toys of characters including Tux and a Baby Yoda.

“The pandemic has been difficult for both students and teachers who were used to working in a classroom. However, their ability to adapt has been fantastic. Decades of experience in using the latest technology have helped make the transition quick and effective.”

Dr. X mentions that there were other resources from Tec de Monterrey which helped him achieve success at EDUCON, such as the Center for Teacher Development and Educational Innovation (CEDDIE) and the Writing Lab at the Institute for the Future of Education.

“They are a sign of the institution’s commitment to its teachers and students, so that the educational experience is the best it can be.”

This year, more than 20 projects from different Tec campuses were submitted to EDUCON, 8 of those papers being written by EIC professors at the Puebla campus.

Who is Dr. X?   

Dr. Miguel Xicoténcatl Rodríguez Paz is currently Director of the Central-South Region Department for Sustainable Technologies and Civil Engineering at Tec de Monterrey’s School of Engineering and Sciences.

He has been a full-time professor at the Puebla campus since 2004 and is known for using videos and his educational YouTube channel in his classes.

“My projects never come to an end. Instead, they evolve and are nourished by knowledge I get from being in the classroom.”

He adapted his model from what he has been using with positive results in his Structural Engineering courses for several years, as reflected in his students’ grades.

“I thank the students who’ve participated in the project and the institution, which always motivates its teachers to participate in educational innovation on a scientific basis. This means that students have the best possible experience in the classroom,” he concluded.

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