AN INTERDISCIPLINARY EXPERIENCE-BASED LEARNING (ABEX) APPROACH: A CASE REPORT ENCOMPASSING MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL THERAPY UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

Resumo

This manuscript presents a case report of an interdisciplinary teaching approach that encompassed the academia and the private
sector aiming at social care. The main goal consisted of allying academics and professors from Mechanical Engineering and Physical
Therapy undergraduate programs for the development of assistive medical devices manufactured from polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
pipes, being these sponsored by a local company. Physical Therapy students approached the issue by tracking low-income patients
from primary health care facilities, identifying their functional disabilities and providing health care assistance. Mechanical
Engineering ones, on the other hand, focused on the design, structural analysis and manufacture of the devices. The methodology
was framed within the so-called Experience-Based Learning (ABEx®), which is a novel pedagogical concept that takes place in all
undergraduate courses at Community University of Chapecó Region – Unochapecó. The successful results achieved, by both
academic and social point of views, may motivate other undergraduate courses to implement similar approach.