Influence of mentoring on the performance of university projects applied to the conceptual process in industrial design Licencia Creative

Abstract

This article originates from the implementation of a strategy generated to validate competencies in the creation of conceptual projects, deployed with Industrial Design students at the Autonomous University of Querétaro. A project manual and mentoring sessions were utilized to identify the key concepts of product language, as well as the essential aspects of the creative process. The strategy was based on the design of urban furniture and interior design in some appointed areas within the School of Engineering, regarding the framework of the academic event called “repentina”. Teams were integrated in three sections: the first one implicated a researcher and eight active faculty members of the Industrial Design program; the second had only one faculty member from the same field; while the third worked without mentoring accompaniment. In section 1, the mentoring was provided both individually and in teams. The results were evaluated by means of a set of criteria for the experiment, as well as through surveys applied to the students and evaluations by external specialists. The ensuing analysis revealed that the presence of the mentor on the second section had a negative impact in terms of student performance, observed in a higher dropout index. In contrast, section 1 presented the lowest dropout rate along with a higher score in the overall evaluation.