The Higher School of Experimental Sciences and Technology (ESCET) successfully held the 2026 edition of the Educational Innovation in Engineering and Technical Degrees Conference (IEIGT 2026), an event designed as a space for reflection and collaboration among professors, researchers, and students interested in transforming university teaching in technical degrees. The conference was organized by faculty from ESCET and the School of Engineering (EIF) belonging to three departments—Chemical and Environmental Technology, Chemical, Energy and Mechanical Technology, and Signal Theory and Communications and Telematics and Computing Systems—which comprise four Consolidated Teaching Innovation Groups. These groups work in areas such as simulation in process engineering, effective collaborative work management, gamification and the flipped classroom, as well as innovation in aerospace and transportation engineering. The conference was sponsored by the Vice-Rectorate for Community, Campus, Culture and Sport of Rey Juan Carlos University. The organization also had the active participation of students from both schools, whose role in reflecting on educational innovation was especially noteworthy.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Jaime Urquiza, director of the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Digital Education (CIED), who emphasized the importance of continuing to promote strategies that foster student motivation, participation, and engagement. Urquiza also underscored the relevance of these forums for sharing experiences and moving toward more flexible, digital, and student-centered teaching models.
The IEIGT 2026 program was divided into three thematic sessions—tool development, active classroom methodologies, and transformative projects in engineering and technical degrees—and combined invited lectures by external faculty from other universities, oral presentations, panel discussions, and a poster session. The external contributions provided an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective that enriched the debate on current challenges in technical education, especially in a context marked by rapid technological evolution.
One of the most recurring themes throughout the day was the role of artificial intelligence in higher education. Several presentations addressed its potential to support assessment, personalize learning, analyze academic data, and create teaching materials, as well as the ethical and methodological challenges posed by its implementation in engineering classrooms.
The day concluded with a panel discussion featuring students, who shared their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of innovative methodologies applied in engineering degrees. Their participation highlighted the importance of incorporating student perspectives into the design and improvement of teaching strategies.
With a high level of participation and a strong collaborative spirit, IEIGT 2026 is consolidating itself as a benchmark within the URJC to promote teaching quality and innovation in technical degrees, laying the foundations for future joint initiatives between departments, teaching groups and students.