ÉTUDE DE CAS: MODE DUAL POUR LE CONTENU DES STAGES

Abstract

In the fifth year of the integrated master of civil engineering of the University of Porto the students have to work on a thesis that is either research or project oriented. A construction company has proposed cooperation between the company and the university interests in terms of content of the project oriented thesis. The proposed method is based on a cooperation that is supported by agreement between the students supervisors and the company mentors. At the start of every semester the company proposes a series of themes with description, designated mentor and available resources. From that list the university supervisors choose and propose to the candidates the programs considered for a possible thesis. Students make an application to the company that chooses, among candidates from different schools, the ones considered for mentoring in the company. The work is supervised and oriented by the university teachers in cooperation with the company mentors. In the end of the thesis phase there are prizes from the company awarded to the best theses. The evaluation is made by a jury where a representative of the company is present. In this paper the results of this type of thesis (internship in a dual mode) are compared with the classical type of theses made in accordance with a classical approach of an academic environment. The comparison is made in qualitative and quantitative terms trying to identify benefits and disadvantages of each type of thesis.