Educational Methodology

Teaching - Learning Model

The teaching–learning model is based on an educational methodology aimed at learning based on:

  • Exercise solving: situations in which students are asked to develop appropriate or correct solutions through practicing routines, applying formulas or algorithms, applying procedures to transform the available information, and interpreting the results (De Miguel, 20061). This is usually used as a complement to online educational content and/or virtual live or recorded synchronous classes taught by instructors and based on an expository method.
  • Problems (Problem-Based Learning): defined as a teaching technique based on solving professional problems with alternative solutions, through which students—over a long series of activities and over a period of time—learn how to learn to solve real-life professional problems (De Miguel, 2006). Here, the instructor acts as a facilitator and guide of the process through the planned learning cycle (Coll and Monereo, 20082).
  • Case study and analysis: an intensive and comprehensive analysis of a real event, problem, or incident with the purpose of understanding it, interpreting it, solving it, generating hypotheses, comparing data, reflecting, expanding knowledge, diagnosing it, and, at times, practicing possible alternative solution procedures (De Miguel, 2006). The aim is for students to experience the complexity, uncertainty, ambiguity, or contradictions that almost always accompany analysis and decision-making in real situations (Coll and Monereo, 2008).
  • Project development: a teaching–learning method in which students carry out a project within a set period of time to solve a problem or address a task through the planning, design, and implementation of a series of activities, all based on the development and application of acquired learning and the effective use of resources (De Miguel, 2006).
  • Cooperative / group work: an interactive approach to organizing work in the virtual classroom in which students are responsible for their own learning and that of their classmates, within a shared-responsibility strategy to achieve group goals and incentives (De Miguel, 2006: 102). In this case, learning may be cooperative in nature (the work is divided among group members, each student is responsible for part of the work, and at the end they put everything together) or collaborative in nature (all students carry out the work jointly through processes of role coordination, co-construction of ideas, and mutual monitoring of the work, while maintaining high levels of connection, bidirectionality, and depth in communicative exchanges among participants).
  • Independent work: an educational approach aimed at having the student take responsibility for their own learning process and manage it autonomously.
  • Lecture-based (expository) method: a traditional method in which course content is presented and delivered either through online educational materials and/or virtual in-person classes taught live or recorded by instructors. A few years ago, teaching methodology was almost exclusively limited to applying this method. With advances in the field of education, it has been shown that this method alone cannot meet the training needs that today’s students have.

All of this is intended to:

  • Achieve the learning objectives and competencies assigned to each course under the academic offering under better conditions. 
  • Successfully combine students’ foundational training with a closer connection to real professional practice for which they are being prepared. This is further encouraged by having faculty with professional experience or practicing professionals involved in the program.
  • Give students a more central role in their learning, in collaborative and competency-based work, in acquiring learning tools, in developing instructional materials that facilitate independent learning, etc.
  • Develop learning that promotes experience as an academic foundation and “learning by doing,” applying knowledge in order to learn.

To that end, this educational model has been designed in accordance with the following parameters:

  1. Proposed learning activities that promote:
    • More active student participation.
    • Work in small groups.
    • Practice-oriented learning.
    • Individual or group tutoring.
  2. Introduction of tools that support students’ self-regulation of their own learning process: self-assessment mechanisms, development of study habits and time-management skills, application of learning strategies, etc.

1 De Miguel Díaz, M. (Dir.) (2006). Modalidades de enseñanza centradas en el desarrollo de competencias. Orientaciones para promover el cambio metodológico en el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior. [Teaching modalities centered on competency development: Guidelines to promote methodological change in the European Higher Education Area]. Oviedo: Ediciones de la Universidad de Oviedo.

2 Coll, C. y Monereo, C. (Eds.) (2008). Psicología de la educación virtual. Aprender y enseñar con las Tecnologías de la Información y la comunicación. [Psychology of virtual education: Learning and teaching with information and communication technologies]. Madrid: Ediciones Morata, S.L.