El proyecto educativo de centro universitario: concepto y dimensiones / The school education project in higher education: concept and dimensions

Abstract

This paper argues that the design and effective implementation of a school education project (SEP) at university can be a particularly efficient tool to implement a new educational model to improve higher education teaching. Our aim is not to propose an education project but its conceptualization and the dimensions it should include if implemented in the Spanish university context, where the SEP is a novel concept. The SEP identifies, aligns, harmonizes and mobilizes all the university elements and educational resources to achieve the established educational goals. These SEP elements stem from the analysis of, the reflection upon and consequential decisions on this proposal. As the SEP is currently not enforceable by law in Spain, its conceptual content mainly consists of our pre-university education experience, the main contributions of the Hispanic scientific literature from the last years, the experiences of academic-educational contract-programs in some universities and the European standards of quality that apply in the current universities accreditation processes. At an operational level, 35 dimensions are identified and classified into 7 standards which should be used by the universities to take strategical decisions. Having missed the opportunity to implement the SEP in our country during the EHEA implementation, the current university accreditation processes are a new and unexpected chance to implement it.