We analyse the origin and development of an Experimental Design course which has been taught in several faculties of the Universidad de la Republica and other institutions in Uruguay, over a 10-year period. At the end of the course, students were assessed by carrying out individual work projects on real-life problems, which was innovative for universities in this country. A concrete example of one of these assessment projects is described. Students produced high-quality work, some of which formed the basis of future papers. In a feedback loop, the student projects were used in later courses as examples to illustrate the use of different techniques and to provide teaching material tailored to the needs of different university specialties. The course has gone through processes of transformation and continuous improvement, which are reflected in students' positive opinions of the course. A detailed analysis of these opinions and students' suggestions is presented. (Contains 16 tables.)