(Escola Universitària Salesiana de Sarrià, Barcelona) – The Salesian University of Sarrià (EUSS) has introduced a new optional teaching module in its engineering degree courses this academic year. This is a pioneering initiative at the national level that aims to broaden the professional skills of future engineers and strengthen the centre’s humanistic formation.
The new course was launched following the observation that a growing number of EUSS graduates take on teaching-related tasks at some point in their professional careers. As explained by Noemí Ruíz, Head of the Research Department and promoter of the project, the EUSS has an excellent team of researchers in teaching and the new curricula have made it possible to introduce this course.
The module has a highly practical approach. Students have undertaken internships in various educational centres, mainly Salesian, such as Sarrià and Sant Vicenç, but also in other contexts such as the SEAT formation room or the Manyanet Institute in Molins de Rei. The internships were structured in two phases: the first dedicated to observing the teaching process and the second to direct intervention, during which the university students held theoretical and practical sessions and workshops.
According to the EUSS, demand for the course exceeded expectations. Students enrolled for different reasons, such as curiosity about teaching, the desire to open up new career paths or the recommendation of their academic tutors.
One of the participating students, Alex Rojas, a Mechanical Engineering student, particularly highlights the learning acquired during internships at educational centres and emphasises that ‘the skills acquired have a direct application in the world of work, beyond the educational sphere.’
Those responsible for the project have a very positive view of this first edition, despite some organisational difficulties related to coordination with partner schools. The teaching staff particularly emphasises the impact that EUSS students have had on vocational students, providing a direct insight into the world of work and becoming true academic role models. In some cases, university students have returned to the centres where they trained, now as trainee teachers.
The time spent in the centres helped to motivate the students and show them that continuing their studies at university is a real possibility,’ notes Ruíz. The feedback from the tutors has been very positive and, in fact, one of the participants will soon be taking on teaching assignments, confirming the immediate impact of the initiative.
Source: Catalunya Religió