Abstract:

During the current 2010/11 academic year has begun to teach in the Faculty of Ourense the Degree in Environmental Sciences at the University of Vigo. The profile recommended for students is high school with basic knowledge of physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology. In addition, it would be a suitable profile students from different cycles, preferably, of agricultural and environmental industries. During this first year it has been offered only the first course which is common in 90% to the Degree in Food Technology and the Degree in Agricultural Engineering. The common subjects are taught jointly by the three degrees taking into account te Bologna criteria, ie lectures in large groups of approximately 100 people, seminar-style classes in groups of 20 people and classes and laboratory practices, according to the subject, in small groups of 10 people. The first year consists of 10 subjects, divided into two semesters. Each subject has 6 credits, which is a workload for students between 150-180 hours. This time includes lectures, tutorials, seminars, hours of work and study, testing .... According to the philosophy of Bologna, in this way a continuous evaluation of students could be performed. The course has been divided into two bimonthly periods of approximately 7 weeks each. Thus, in the first semester during the first two months Geology and MathematicsI are taught. During the second two months Biology, Chemistry and PhysicsI are taught. In the second semester during the first two months there are 3 subjects: MathematicsII, Computer Science and Environmental Legislation and the remaining two subjects are given in the second two months: PhysicsII and ChemistryII. With this experience is claimed, by one side, that during the first semester students who arrive from September selectivity do not enroll in late October-early November at a semester in which almost all subjects have spent half of your cycle. On the other hand, this division in bimonthly periods allows students receiving in a phased manner the necessary background to the subjects of the second semester. Such is the case for example in Mathematics and Physics. Moreover, in this way students can concentrate their studies in the subjects of each bimonthly period without being oversaturated by seminars, laboratory,… In the second semester the distribution of subjects was reversed so that for the last two months there were only two subjects due to the high amount of laboratory practices. Taking into account this teaching methodology, iIt has been carried out a statistical study of the results obtained of the students who began this year the Degree in Environmental Science showing that over 50% of students have passed three of the five subjects indicating satisfactory academic results. To assess the rate of satisfaction with the first semester of the degree in Environmental Sciences, a questionnaire was conducted showing that a high percentage of the students surveyed are satisfied. In particular it would be noted the positive response regarding the ongoing distribution of bimonthly periods and the existence of continuous evaluation.