Teaching at the university and social and educational improvement

Abstract

Higher Education contributes not only to the formation of skills for the world of today and tomorrow, but also to the training of socially responsible future professionals with ethical principles, who are committed to working for peace, human rights and the values of democracy (UNESCO, 2009). This work emphasizes service-learning as a methodology to integrate academic learning, along with community service solidarity as a method of improving it. Firstly, the spread of service-learning in the context of a Spanish university is analyzed. It delves into the positive impact it has on students. The evidence found in the literature is described. Secondly, a service-learning experience carried out in the Degree of Education from the University of Navarrais described and evaluated. Perceptions of the learning outcomes achieved by the students involved are collected. These results suggest that the experience has led to a high level of acquisition of the contents of the subject and its related skills, with particular emphasis on the social component.

Keywords

• aprendizaje-servicio, competencias del docente, metodología, innovación pedagógica, formación inicial del docente