Spanish Higher Education Institutions Research Articles

Integrating technologies in translation teaching: a study on trainers’ perceptions

ABSTRACT In recent years, the language industry has undergone a technological revolution, and professionals are increasingly required to have strong technological knowledge and expertise. Undergraduate translation programmes have tried to adapt to these changing market demands, albeit at a much slower pace. However, there still seems to be a significant gap between the increasingly challenging technological demands of the translation market and training in translation technologies (TT) in university degree courses. A previous empirical study investigating the presence of technology in undergraduate translation module syllabi showed that there is little integration of TT into translation modules. This paper presents a follow-up study, the primary goal of which is to comprehensively describe this situation with the testimonies of a cohort of translation trainers in Spanish higher-education institutions at undergraduate level. We expect to contribute to the field by reporting on the challenges experienced by trainers who are trying to integrate technologies into their practical translation modules. Findings show that there is little integration of TT into the teaching methodology of translation modules. This is due, in most cases, to factors that are beyond trainers’ control.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on enrollment in undergraduate health-related studies in Spain

The aim of this study was to determine whether the pandemic has reinforced the choice of pursuing health-related bachelor’s degrees, and to identify underlying factors that could contribute to that impact. This is a cross-sectional study using an online survey of 2,344 students of nursing, physiotherapy, medicine, psychology and podiatry who started health-related bachelor’s degrees after the COVID-19 outbreak in Spanish higher education institutions. The pandemic influenced the choice of these studies by increasing the desire to help others (33.2%), by increasing citizenship values (28.4%), and by increasing the desire to contribute to improving the situation of the country (27.5%). Women had a significantly greater influence on the increase in social values related to the practice of the profession produced by the pandemic, whereas men and the bachelor’s degree in podiatry were more influenced by salary prospects. An increased desire to help others was significantly higher among women and nursing and medical students. Podiatry and psychology were the degrees were most influenced by the pandemic, as more students decided to pursue them, something they had previously doubted, while in nursing, psychology, and medicine the pandemic reinforced their interest in pursuing the degree the most. Students personally affected by COVID-19 reported being more influenced in reconsidering their professional path and in reinforcing their desire to pursue the health-related studies.

Adequacy of existing circular economy assessment tools for higher education institutions

Circular economy (CE) has been identified as a key strategy to contribute to sustainable development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. In this context, organisations have started to demand methods to measure and monitor their level of circularity. To facilitate this task, several CE tools have been developed in recent years, which automatically measure, track and communicate the level of circularity of organisations based on answers to qualitative questions. In particular, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), as organisations engaged in education, research and community services, play an important role in promoting sustainability and should be an example in the transition process towards CE. Therefore, they need approaches that allow them to measure and monitor their transition towards CE. The aim of this study is to analyse the adequacy of existing CE tools for HEIs, to check whether they consider the specificities of HEIs and to identify the required changes to make them suitable for HEIs. For this purpose, seven existing CE tools were applied to four Spanish HEIs, and were analysed and evaluated through interviews with the environmental managers of these HEIs. The results show that the existing CE tools need to be reformulated in order to make them suitable for assessing the level of circularity of HEIs and to make their outputs useful for decision-making. As a conclusion, it has been found that it is better to develop a specific CE tool for HEIs, in order to incorporate the specificities and peculiarities of such complex type of organisation, including the teaching, research and management areas.

A framework for implementing and reporting United Nations sustainable development goals in Spanish higher education institutions

PurposeThis study aims to explore a holistic framework for implementing and reporting sustainable development goals (SDGs) in universities. The aim is to define elements of the content as well as the context, which will allow us to understand and compare sustainable development processes at the university level. Using the 2030 Agenda context, this research describes a university profile which is accountable to its stakeholders, thus aligning its sustainability report with the SDGs.Design/methodology/approachThis research has considered the entire Spanish university system and relies on data collection from sustainability reports published by 50 public universities and 34 private universities. Through an analysis of the contents of public reports, the aim is to build an index like the social responsibility dissemination index, but specific to the 2030 Agenda in the university context.FindingsThe holistic model, based on a dissemination index, showed diverse methods of implementing and reporting contributions to the SDGs, with varying degrees of depth, priority, reach, suitability and visibility. The proposed index was also used as a classification variable to group Spanish universities into two conglomerates, one that leads the contribution to the 2030 Agenda and another that follows the previous ones.Research limitations/implicationsThis research work could be extended to include any European university educational systems. Case studies could add qualitative value to the implementation of the SDGs.Originality/valueAs a pilot study, the developed index can be used to analyse the sustainability reports of Spanish universities to determine the use of reporting to render accounts to stakeholders.

Bilingual resources in English-medium instruction lectures

English is increasingly used as a lingua franca (ELF) for academic activities in Spanish higher education institutions. The notion of ELF is now being redefined including in its conceptualization a multilingual nature of communication (Jenkins, 2015). This conception is interesting for researchers in English-medium instruction (EMI). Therefore, this paper reports on a study which focuses on the multilingual resources most frequently used by higher education lecturers to achieve comprehensibility in EMI courses at the University of Zaragoza. It regards them as part of the pragmatic and strategic behaviour of the participants. The corpus for the study consists of 14 hours of audio-recorded lectures in two different disciplines that have been analysed from a discourse-pragmatic approach, involving both qualitative and quantitative methods. The analysis of the data reveals that lecturers use their multilingual resources, mainly their own first language, as a pragmatic strategy that enables them to achieve various conversational goals such as clarifying meaning.

Sustainability practices in Spanish higher education institutions: An overview of status and implementation

Higher education institutions have been steadily progressing towards the integration of sustainable practices in their university system. Consequently, an increasing number of these institutions have recognized their responsibility and are incorporating sustainability into their operations, and practices, following a holistic approach. Despite these efforts in the implementation, there are still many challenges to pursue sustainability. In the Spanish framework, there is a lack of studies that investigate sustainable development in higher education by considering all the dimensions. Especially, the efforts of the Spanish Universities in research have been scarcely analysed in detail. This study analyze how Spanish Public and Private Universities (SUE) are integrating sustainability into their institutions by the following dimensions: Research (based on a search strategy proposed by considering the social, economic and environmental perspective); Internationalization (participation in GreenMetrics ranking and European Framework projects), University Governance (Strategic Plans); Assessment and Reporting (Sustainability Plans) and Campus Operations (Green offices).The findings reveal that some institutions present a higher production of scientific activity on the topic (e.g. UAB), while others with less production are more specialized (e.g. UA). The commitment of the universities has increased over time but it varies greatly among different kind of universities, especially in favour of the public institutions. By analyzing the correlation between sustainability practice, it was found that there are high association between some of the variables i.e. sustainability plan and having a green office. However, this study clearly demonstrates that although SD is recognized as being very important to HEIs and society, it is not yet embedded in the whole system’s strategies, activities, and policies.

Social Media Used and Teaching Methods Preferred by Generation Z Students in the Nursing Clinical Learning Environment: A Cross-Sectional Research Study.

Generation Z nursing students have a distinctive combination of attitudes, beliefs, social norms, and behaviors that will modify education and the nursing profession. This cross-sectional research study aimed to explore the social media use and characteristics of Generation Z in nursing students and to identify what were the most useful and preferred teaching methods during clinical training. Participants were Generation Z nursing degree students from a Spanish Higher Education Institution. A 41-item survey was developed and validated by an expert panel. The consecutive sample consisted of 120 students. Participants used social media for an average of 1.37 h (SD = 1.15) for clinical learning. They preferred, as teaching methods, linking mentorship learning to clinical experiences ( = 3.51, SD = 0.88), online tutorials or videos ( = 3.22, SD = 0.78), interactive gaming ( = 3.09, SD = 1.14), and virtual learning environments ( = 3, SD = 1.05). Regarding generational characteristics, the majority either strongly agreed or agreed with being high consumers of technology and cravers of the digital world (90.1%, n = 108 and 80%, n = 96). The authors consider it essential to expand our knowledge about the usefulness or possible use of teaching methods during clinical learning, which is essential at this moment because of the rapidly changing situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gender Diversity in Academic Sector—Case Study

Diversity is one of the main characteristics of social groups, including work-teams. At the same time, gender is an important aspect of diversity in organizations, and gender diversity deals with the equal representation of men and women in the workplace. This article aims to analyze the issue of gender diversity in the academic sector and to evaluate the organizational maturity of particular universities in gender diversity management. To do so, the method of comparative case studies is used—Polish and Spanish higher education institutions are compared. First of all, the author describes the status of men and women in Poland and in Spain, in general (considering different socio-economic factors). In the next part of the article, the gender structure of employment in both the Polish and the Spanish academic sector is presented. Finally, the analysis of gender diversity in two universities is conducted. Additionally, the author introduces the model of organizational maturity in gender diversity management (OMDM), to evaluate organizational attitudes toward gender diversity and the type of gender diversity policy in universities. The findings reveal that, in both Polish and Spanish societies and economies, there still are barriers that cause inequalities between men and women in the labor market. Considering the situation in the academic sector, it can be said that the gender structure of employment is more balanced in Poland than in Spain. At the same time, the highest positions of full professors are mainly occupied by men both in Poland and in Spain. When analyzing the situation in the organizations, employment is more diverse in the Polish university, but both universities face the same problem—too little representation of women in top job positions. Consequently, both institutions are classified as those which are in the preliminary stage in the model of gender diversity management. This study contributes to a better understanding of the issue of gender diversity by comparing the status of men and women in the academic sector in two countries and in two universities. Additionally, the model of OMDM presented in this article can be a useful tool to assess the policy of gender diversity in different organizations.

MOOC y modelos de aprendizaje combinado. Una aproximación práctica

Cada vez existe un mayor interés en analizar cómo los entornos virtuales influyen en el aprendizaje. En particular, los investigadores se centran en evaluar diseños educativos que combinan los MOOC con la enseñanza presencial. El presente artículo analiza una experiencia de aprendizaje mixto en una institución de educación superior española. Su objetivo es presentar un estudio de caso y discutir el enfoque estratégico para integrar un MOOC en estudios de grado presenciales. En el caso analizado, los estudiantes aprenden utilizando una combinación de clases presenciales con aprendizaje virtual. El objetivo es mejorar el rendimiento académico y reducir la tasa de abandono en estudiantes de primer curso. La estrategia de evaluación de esta experiencia se centra en la realización de cuestionarios y grupos focales para interpretar los resultados y la opinión de los diferentes grupos de interés. El análisis realizado sintetiza la opinión de las principales partes interesadas sujetas a estudio en la institución, esto es, la universidad, los estudiantes y el personal académico. Del estudio realizado se desprende que los modelos de aprendizaje combinado mejoran la calidad de la educación de los estudiantes, fortalecen su rendimiento académico y alientan al personal académico a innovar constantemente en su proceso didáctico.

Explorando os currículos de Terapia Ocupacional: Análise comparativa entre Brasil e Espanha

Introdução: Os currículos de Terapia Ocupacional são objetos de constantes mudanças e negociações do campo profissional. Neste sentido, estudos comparativos são necessários para entender aspectos conceituais e estruturais da formação. Objetivo: Analisar comparativamente os currículos de Terapia Ocupacional em duas diferentes instituições de ensino superior (IES), uma no Brasil e outra na Espanha. Metodologia: Abordagem qualitativa, especificamente, análise documental, foi utilizada. Inúmeros documentos das IES foram selecionados e analisados em três categorias: : I) Definição e Conceitos: visão geral, II) Estrutura curricular do curso, III) Recursos humanos. Resultados: Observa-se que a definição conceitual de ambos programas apresenta uma tendência de utilização do termo ocupação, como elemento de definição da profissão, embora, na IES brasileira o termo atividade seja mais utilizado. Os currículos apresentaram percentuais semelhantes ao tempo dedicado à disciplinas especificas de Terapia Ocupacional, mas houve maior conteúdo de pesquisa e ciências sociais na instituição espanhola, que indica uma forte base no campo da saúde da formação brasileira. Os recursos humanos no Brasil apresentam maior número e titulação acadêmica. Considerações finais: Este estudo marca a primeira analise comparativa entre currículos dos dois países, e representa uma contribuição para entender diferente elementos que apoiam a formação de novos terapeutas ocupacionais.

In Favor of the Equality in the Higher Education: The Policies of the Universities in the Spanish Educational System

The Organic Law 3/2007, dated 22nd of March, for the effective equality between women and men (LOI, Ley Organica de Igualdad) provided by the directive 2002/73/CE of the European Parliament and of the Council on gender equality, dated 23rd of September 2002, forces public authorities to guarantee mainstream incorporation of the gender perspective in public policies and to preserve the acknowledgement of the role of women in cultural, historical and economical fields, responding to this national equality policy in Spain. Hence the Spanish Higher education institutions’ regulation (Law 6/2001, dated 21st of December, about Universities, (B.O.E., Boletin Oficial del Estado 24/12/2001), modified by the Organic Law 4/2007, dated 12th of April, (B.O.E. 13/04/2007), considers the creation of Equality Bodies (12th additional provision). In this communication, we present a general overview of how the European Community and Spanish universities apply this principle of equality by means of different supporting bodies, units, commissions and observatories, as well as the foreseen actions. All of this, to understand the intentions, decisions, objectives and adopted measures by the public authorities regarding gender equality.

An approach to the implementation of sustainability practices in Spanish universities

Sustainability issues in higher educational institutions have attracted increasing levels of attention from both the public and policy makers in recent decades. A number of previous studies have called for a more comprehensive integration of sustainable development into mainstream university operations and curricula. However, there is a lack of sufficient studies that investigate sustainable development in higher education in Spain. Therefore, the present paper has two goals: First, the study analyses the extent to which Spanish universities have implemented sustainability practices in their institutions. To accomplish this task, data were collected using a survey distributed to rectors and senior management at Spanish higher education institutions. The second goal is to examine the main factors that might explain the implementation of sustainability practices in Spanish universities. For this purpose, Pearson chi-square tests were used to analyse the data collected in the survey. Key findings show the slow rate of progress of many Spanish universities with regard to implementing sustainability practices, a fact which could indicate that there are clearly a number of obstacles to overcome. Additionally, there were no factors influencing the implementation of sustainability practices.

What are the key indicators for evaluating the activities of universities?

In the last decades, there has been an upsurge in studies on the evaluation of universities using different indicator systems, which has resulted in a multiplicity of indicators. This paper tries to identify which are the most important indicators for the evaluation of higher education institutions, since currently there is no consensus on this. We use the Delphi technique to try to achieve some sort of consensus among a group of experts occupying senior academic and management positions in the Spanish higher education (HE) system, with in-depth knowledge of HE institutions evaluation. The paper contributes directly to both theory and practice by providing a list of prioritized critical indicators for the evaluation of HE institutions. Although the analysis focuses on experts from Spanish HE institutions evaluation, our findings can be generalized to other European HE institutions.

Campus information systems for students: classification in Spain

PurposeFirst, this article seeks to establish a conceptual model for campus information systems for students, in order to make their comparison possible for strategic management purposes. Second, it seeks to test this conceptual model in a fieldwork on Spanish higher education institutions, in order to relate information system's characteristics with other organizational features.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual model was based on socio‐technical information systems and knowledge management literature. A holistic vision of higher education student's information needs was kept into account. Data about Spanish universities were gathered by means of structured visits to institutional websites and structured interviews with undergraduate students. Data were analyzed with multivariate statistical techniques.FindingsFrom multivariate analysis, a classification was obtained for Spanish universities into three clusters with homogeneous characteristics, in the sense of informational and organizational aspects. These clusters are discussed in temporal terms and with some individual examples.Research limitations/implicationsCampus information systems need to be broadly characterized for strategic information management purposes. The proposed and tested model is a step to address their characterization.Originality/valueThis user centered information systems conceptual framework is set up to obtain a global vision of new information and learning electronic environments in campus. Its application in a fieldwork on Spanish universities offers new insights about informational and organizational features in higher education.