The Methodology of Project-Oriented Learning at the Postgraduate Level for the Training of Student Competencies

Introduction

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is characterized by the application of automated systems in production processes with the aim of creating digital networks that allow increasing production and using resources more efficiently. Thus, the Internet of things, connectivity and automation are incorporated. The first is aimed at improving predictive maintenance to prevent equipment failures before they occur, while the second allows the connection of billions of people to enable online commerce, social networks and mobile applications. Meanwhile, the third one is that the machinery works autonomously and flexibly (González, 2017). Therefore, the Fourth Industrial Revolution according to Schwab (2016) is described as an organization of production processes based on technology and devices that communicate with each other autonomously along the value chain.

On the other hand, Alzaga and Larreina (2016) establish that its main characteristics are: 1) Existence of a flexible model that allows the connection between suppliers, clients and employees in the productive chain of a good or service; b) Based on re-configurability that means the ability to quickly adapt to changes in customer needs; c) The digitization of production processes; d) Use of digital tools by employees in order to increase productivity. Based on the above, education has been recognized as the strategic factor that encourages the development of a society, so in the presence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, educational systems need to consider their needs and demands, as well as the interests of citizens and the goals that the country is trying to achieve. So, teachers face the challenge of training people who are going to work in a society characterized by uncertainty, innovation and the circulation of information from the use of technological tools, which is why it is necessary for new generations to learn to live in this context (Bauman, 2008).

Therefore, it is relevant to recognize that today's society demands competent citizens who are capable of improving both their living conditions and the country in a context of dynamism, change and uncertainty (Bauman, 2003). Consequently, educational centers have to transform to respond to this new context in which learning enables the development of various capacities in the individual that allow them not only to solve the various problems of the real world but also the possibility of interacting collaboratively (Rekalde & García, 2015).

In the same way, the incorporation of the Internet into the various activities of both individuals and organizations, gave rise to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is transforming economies and societies by redefining the way in which people work, live and interact as a society (WEF, 2018). As Yogeshwar (2019) mentions, in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, turbo modernity is accessed, which refers to the fact that the power of the digital revolution is present in the various sectors of the country together with the generation of innovations that modify processes and work procedures.

Based on this, the Fourth Industrial Revolution offers as main opportunities: 1) Lower barriers between inventors and markets; 2) More active role for artificial intelligence; 3) Integration of different techniques and domains (fusion); 4) Quality of life and, 5) life connected through the use of the Internet (Anderson, 2012; Jules, 2017). This fusion of technologies goes beyond blending because it creates new markets and new growth opportunities for each participant in innovation. In addition, the use of the Internet will allow the interconnection of networks of physical devices, which will have an impact on an advanced connectivity of devices, systems and services with a variety of applications. So it is expected that the interconnection of these integrated devices will lead to automation in almost all areas, while generating advanced applications such as a smart grid with the ability to expand to areas such as smart cities (Gershenfeld & Vasseur, 2014).

Before this panorama, the massification of information and communication technologies (ICTs) have caused the generation of knowledge to have a very high obsolescence, so human capital should be seen as a renewable resource, which requires permanent updating and renewing with continuous learning, which will allow it to be flexible and responsive to an environment in which the only permanent thing is change (Peters, 2017).