Forming creative and innovative engineers is a generalized promise in higher education institutions. It is aso a recognized need in diverse socia, educative and professional contexts, which is expressed in professiond profile s, educative models and accreditation criteria. Nevertheless recent surveys show that these and other important qualities of professionas are not developed at satisfactory levels by student during their careers. This paper presents an active learning educative experience intended to enhance creative and innovative capabihties of engineering students. Without having previous required knowledge nether experience in working together, students put in motion their individual and collective resources to produce innovative solutions to an apparently unsolvable challenge. While progressing in their projects and guided under a coaching style by their professors, students developed knowledge, abillties and attitudes to creatively solle unexpected and sometimes complex problems. Results show that active le anting may improve creativity and other important profession! qualties of future engineers.