Developing transversal skills through creative team building in engineering education

Integrating pedagogical innovations and inclusive approaches in university education represents a meaningful strategy to foster active and cooperative learning. Developing transversal skills such as collaboration and critical problem-solving is essential for the technical professions, such as engineers and architects, who face the increasingly complex problems of this millennium. This article describes a team-building experience as part of a first-year course in Building Drawing at Politecnico di Torino, aiming to enhance transversal skills and foster interaction between students from heterogeneous backgrounds. The experiential activity proposes a creative challenge in the field of modular architecture by using the 3D-printed basic element proposed by the architect Walter Gropius. The analysis of the results, conducted using questionnaires and qualitative observations, showed improved relational skills and strengthened student motivation. This experience shows how innovative teaching methodologies can contribute to academic success and prepare students to manage group dynamics in the professional context of building engineering.