La implantación de los nuevos grados: propuestas de mejora

Authors

Pedro Martín MartínSalto de línea Leslie Bobb Wolff Salto de línea Universidad de la Laguna. Facultad de Filología. Departamento de Filología Inglesa y Alemana. La Laguna, Tenerife, España.

DOI

10.4438/1988-592X-RE-2010-356-120

Abstract

The Introduction of the New Degrees: Suggestions for Improvement

This academic year (2009-2010), the majority of the departmental units at the School of Philology of the University of La Laguna have begun to experience a period of transition, leading to integration into the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), by means of the gradual introduction of new EHEA-compliant degrees. This process is a major challenge for all the members of the university community, since the process entails significant changes as regards the concept of academic instruction. The new concept of academic instruction mainly considers the total amount of work done by students, including the effort they put into independent study. Moreover, because learning will be competence based, the professional profile and individual features of students are taken into account in course planning. This requires new methodologies and more complex assessment criteria that must be clearly specified in programme guides. Moreover, tutorial action takes on great importance in this context, since it is seen as a system for helping students with information, guidance and instruction, not only academically but also personally, socially and career-wise. Thus the teaching and research function of lecturers in the EHEA must be widened to cover other aspects that serve to enrich students’ comprehensive development. This essay explores the concept of academic instruction within the framework of the EHEA, as opposed to the present teaching focus, and the repercussions that this concept has on syllabus design and on the role that university teachers have to fulfil in the new teaching/ learning process. Some reflection is offered on the difficulties perceived after the completion of the first year and some suggestions are given for improving academic instruction in the years to come.

Keywords

EHEA, competences, programme guides, tutorial action, teaching function, academic instruction, teaching/learning process, suggestions for improvement.