Cómo mejorar la docencia universitaria: El punto de vista del estudiantado

Abstract

The point of view of University students about what happens in the classroom is different from the one teaching staff has; students see the educative action as the concretion of a series of decisions each professor has made, and analyzes and evaluates this set of decisions based on the contribution in their learning process. The students' point of view is complementary to professor's one, and therefore it is necessary for all professors who wish to review and optimize their action in the classroom, because a better understanding of educational fact facilitates and targets innovation and improves teaching. Aiming to listen and gather the voices of the student body, we have conducted several investigations in various Faculties of the University of Barcelona (Law, Teacher Training, Pedagogy and Chemistry) and the University School of Infirmary. The contributions of the students have been made in discussion groups; this methodology is appropriate to facilitate that the students, as protagonists of the learning process, elaborate and develop ideas, criteria, approaches and meanings about the events that occur in their teaching and learning environments. In this article we intend to show up, in a structured way, what students think, conceive and express about two aspects of the university teaching activity in which they are involved because they affect the development of their personal training project: the content selection and didactical strategies selection. Both decisions are taken –have to be taken– by university professor, but in both cases the student body is –has to be– a fundamental referent.