Abstract:

This investigation is part of an academic innovation project within the framework of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) Quality Strategic Plan 2015-2019. With the experience of having participated in several innovation and teaching projects, we proposed the beginning of a new project in the field of postgraduate, official masters and doctoral programs’ training.

This project allows students to improve their learning experience by conducting their research work of Master and Doctoral Theses within the framework of the professional reality. This experience shows the best academic training for professional insertion of master and doctorate students, in the fields of research applied to communication, especially in relation to the management of public institutions and non-profit organizations.

This project aimed graduate, masters and doctorate students carrying out their work to Master's and Doctoral Theses in collaboration with public utilities. Thus, students are offered the opportunity to realize their academic work as an exercise of professional practice in real cases, in the real context of working activity of the present moment, achieving their training goals. For its part, the partner organizations provide necessary information and tools for the development of the mentioned works, while they see their interests satisfied to receive the results of the academic work done by students. In turn, the development of the mentioned works of master's and Doctoral Theses have the accurate guidance of tutors and teachers who are involved in the good work of their students and that once the work is completed, will facilitate the transfer of results not only to the collaborating entity, but also to all the scientific community. To carry out all these graduate work, as mentioned, students have the invaluable support of the Director of the Library of the School of Information Sciences, as well as all staff of it.

The results can serve as indicators of the quality of master's and doctorate’s programs from the School of Information Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid, and as a reference for the implementation of similar projects to other graduate degrees from different universities, both in Spain and abroad. On the other hand, it offers tutors the ability to link their teaching to professional practice, raising the direction of the work of their students as exhaustive case studies.

Innova-Docencia Group number 281 is formed by the academics: María Teresa García Nieto, Graciela Padilla Castillo, Dimitrina Jivkova Semova, Nuria Villagra García, Cristóbal Fernández Muñoz, David Caldevilla Domínguez, Cristina Fuertes Planas, María Soledad Martínez Chillón, Ana Isabel Segovia Alonso, Roxana Popelka Sosa Sánchez, María José Cavadas Gormaz, Belén Casas Mas, Rafael Barberá González, Francisco Cabezuelo Lorenzo y Mónica Viñarás Abad; and several master's and doctoral students.

Keywords:

Academic innovation, teaching project, postgraduate students, professional insertion, professional practice.