Abstract:

Final master and degree projects are compulsory activities in Spanish graduate and post-graduate study programs, that offer a very interesting opportunity for including some dimensions that our contemporary society demands to be incorporated in higher education learning programs. Social inclusion, gender equality and sustainability are multidimensional goals which should be integrated into the study programs by means of efficient mechanisms. However, due to the transversal nature of these social dimensions, finding and developing these mechanisms is a real challenge in the current structure of Spanish higher education graduate and post-graduate programs.

The aim of this paper is to describe a proposal that is being carried out at the University of Málaga which attempts to integrate the social inclusion, gender equality and sustainability dimensions into the general learning process, making available to students for their final master and degree projects topics directly related to these dimensions. This proposal is included in the current project conducted by the permanent group of innovation in education (GpIE 146) at the University of Málaga. The general project comprises the design and putting into practice of several instruments and activities, of individual and collective nature, that attempt to integrate social dimensions in the learning process via competences and skills development.

As a first step we are implementing the proposal in the final master projects of two postgraduate programs at the University of Málaga in which lecturers of the group are involved, the MSc in Actuarial Science and the MSc in Tourism Management and Planning. The topics offered are carefully selected by the group of lecturers, after analyzing initial surveys that allow us to know our students’ opinions of the relevance and level of social and professional sensitivity to several aspects of the specific dimensions included in the project.

By offering topics for final projects that involve an explicit connection with the gender perspective, sustainability or social inclusion, the student can have an individual experience that is longer and deeper than what can be obtained with other tools we are trying, like seminars or workshops, which are shorter and collective. This way, our students who choose these topics are integrating their insights and sensitivities about the selected social dimension into their development of skills, such as researching, data management or communicating facts and ideas. The expected results of the proposal are that enrolled students will undergo an enriching experience, combining the conventional learning resources used in the completion of the final master projects with the awareness of how the social dimensions are intertwined with the chosen topic. Thus, they not only acquire the specific technical skills and contents of their study program, but also realize the social dimensions involved in their corresponding professional practice. Moreover, we are raising students’ awareness about the social impact and implications of their future professional activity, bringing us closer to the demands of society. Once the projects will be finished, it will be possible to compare the individual perceptions of our students after completing their projects with those observed after the collective workshops.

Keywords:

Final master project, sustainability, gender, inclusion.