The sixth DualECA symposium focused on dual teaching in education centers

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The sixth DualECA symposium focused on dual teaching in education centers

Dual program

The sixth DualECA symposium focused on dual teaching in education centers

The gathering, which took place on the Eskoriatza campus, brought together universities that work on the dual format in education. The topic chosen for this sixth year of the symposium was: ‘Learning about dual experiences/different alternations: strengths and challenges’.

2023·03·28

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On March 23 and 24, Mondragon University held a symposium of universities that work on the alternation format in their Education degree programs. Among other activities, an open conference was held on March 23 on the Eskoriatza campus, under the title ‘Learning about dual experiences/different alternations: strengths and challenges’.

Together with the Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences of Mondragon University, this sixth symposium saw the participation of the University of Lleida, the University of Andorra, Jaume I University and representatives from the Higher Polytechnic School and from the Faculty of Business Studies of Mondragon University. In this way, DualECA opened a channel of communication with diverse disciplines in order to enrich reflection on the challenges and strengths of this method of teaching and learning. In the words of Mondragon University Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences teacher and researcher Arantza Ozaeta, “DualECA was first held six years ago to respond to a common challenge: how to bring the dual model to the educational setting. During these years, we have worked, for example, on how to train university and school instructors for dual teaching and how to evaluate the practicum and the dual experience”.

Strengths and challenges

This year’s symposium focused on the strengths and challenges of alternation models (primarily in Education degree programs, but also taking Engineering and Business Administration and Management into consideration). Indeed, in recent years, the alternation and dual training methods have increased in different disciplines; hence the interest in learning more about these experiences and about the strengths and challenges perceived in these models. University of Lleida representative Jordi Coiduras stressed that “this year, we have shared the need for universities to learn side by side with school mentors, to analyze what we have and do not have in common, and what we should learn together in order to provide better mentoring”.

The DualECA symposium, which was held on the Eskoriatza campus, lasted for two days. In the March 23 session, the universities participating in the DualECA network held a monographic session on school visits carried out within the framework of the practicum. They spoke about the training aspect of these visits, as well as about the connection between school and university. The purpose of these meetings was to share the different practices that are carried out. In the words of Virginia Larraz from the University of Andorra, “In DualECA, we work throughout the school year and we also hold an annual meeting, which this year took place in Eskoriatza. At these conferences, we share how we solve problems on a daily basis in the dual system, what decision-making process we use, etc., that is, we share ideas to be able to then adapt them at each of our universities.”