In the last decade, one of the biggest challenges for universities has been the adoption of a competency-based approach (CBA) to teaching and learning. This approach seeks to respond to the challenges faced by companies and the labour market in a globalized context. To address these challenges, it is essential to establish alliances beyond the academic field that allow validating the deliverables and projects to be carried out by students, along with their motivation and interest to face these challenges. The objective of this research study is to analyse the student's effort and interest at the beginning of the university academic year at different levels and stages, in order to optimize the subsequent content and progress of the master classes. Indeed, it is aimed to continue with the present work by deepen in the motivations of the students related with the subject.

The research has been carried out with students and teachers of the programs of the Degrees in Industrial Electronics and Automation Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering of the School of Engineering of Bilbao. Specifically in subjects from the first semester of the third and fourth academic years, with the aim of analyzing how the student's motivation and interest contribute to the improvement of their training. A structured survey has been used, where 222 students have participated (distributed in the 3rd and 4th grades), which have showed a higher percentage of prior knowledge (56%) and prior research (33%) in 4th grade students compared to 3rd grade students (13% and 5%, respectively), as could be expected. On the contrary, their expectations along the academic year are lower in the higher level (39% in 4th grade versus 64% in 3rd grade). This could indicate that their interest and motivation decrease during their studies, being a subject that needs further investigation. In reference to their preferences between seminars and master classes, 4th grade students show more interest in mixed teaching methodologies (32% students in 4th grade versus 16.7% in 3rd grade).

This study offers valuable information for the committee, as it highlights the importance of interest in the different grades and different levels that students are studying. These findings emphasize the importance of fostering interest in subjects from the beginning of the academic year, as it can be a determining factor in students' success and overall satisfaction in higher education.

Keywords: Interest, effort, motivation and active learning.