elButlletí

A quarterly publication of AQU Catalunya

96

January 2020

The Autonomous University of Barcelona/UAB's Faculty of Biosciences hosted a seminar on Challenges in university education in the field of Biosciences on 8th November. The seminar, which formed part of the cycle of Employers round table-workshops organised by AQU Catalunya, was attended by academics, employers, students and experts in quality assurance in higher education.

The workshop was divided into three main sections. The first began with a keynote presentation by Néstor Torres, Vice-Rector for Teaching Innovation and Quality and professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of La Laguna. Torres gave with a description of the traditional model of education to explain changes to study programmes that need to be addressed, in terms of both curriculum and methodology. He then went on to propose a series of ideas dealing with teaching innovation and educational strategies, together with recommendations for both employers and universities to align the supply and demand of graduates' skills.

In the second section, Sandra Nieto, coordinator of the Employers survey, presented the findings of the survey carried out by the Agency relative to the educational level and skills of graduates employed in the sector. Of particular note among these was the overall satisfaction of employers with the skills and competences of Biosciences graduates.

The third section consisted of a round table discussion between representatives of the employers group, academics and students who, as the main stakeholders, discussed improvements to programmes of study in the Biosciences.

The main conclusions and enhancement proposals from the seminar are laid out in the document ‘Conclusions and proposals for improvement from the seminar 'Challenges in university education in the field of Biosciences'.

A summary of the proposals for improvement is given below:

• To venture for the shift to the active methodology
• To contribute to enhancing the skills of teaching staff
• To integrate leadership and project management
• To encourage broader practical skills
• To provide more opportunities for employment experience
• To integrate cross-disciplinary skills into Bachelor’s degree programmes
• To foster specific courses for developing soft skills
• To enhance professional guidance and awareness of employment opportunities
• To draw up a “management-oriented” study pathway
• To improve knowledge of English
• To adjust therange of educational programmes offered to meet the needs of the market
• To encourage student participation in the implementation of curriculums