Abstract:

The learning process in the European Higher Education Area is based on skills development, being this process the more efficient and lasting way to deal with the involvement of social aspects like inclusion, sustainability and gender perspective in the educational model, by means of integrating them into the mechanisms and actions designed to develop competences.

In this paper we present a project that is being carried out at the University of Málaga by a permanent group of innovation in education (GpIE 146), which is focused on the identification of what competences and skills require more attention to integrate these mentioned social aspects into the process of skills development, and on the design of instruments and activities to efficiently achieve it. In its first stage, the project is centered in the set of skills already defined in the study program of the Master Degree in Actuarial Science, although in the next few years we have some other study programs of the University of Málaga ready to be involved.

The aims of the project are (i) enhancing the presence of social inclusion, gender perspective and sustainability in all the stages of the skill development process, (ii) encouraging an adequate and updated perception of them within students and lecturers, and (iii) promoting a critical and creative attitude in line with the main challenges of today’s society.

In order to achieve the proposed goals, the methodological approach chosen consists of designing and putting into practice new actions that fit into the current framework of competence development. Using this method, the present framework is enriched with new instruments as well as contents, and also the results should be longer lasting than simple external awareness-raising actions. This approach attempts to achieve results letting students and lecturers reach their own personal conclusions and deliver their own voices to the debate.
The initial set of planned actions includes: proposing topics for final master and degree projects directly related to social inclusion, gender and sustainability; incorporating gender and inclusiveness criteria in the dynamics of collaborative working; generating adapted teaching materials; carrying out a periodical survey related to the students’ subjective perceptions of the current situation and the necessary actions in the study program perceived; and creating a consultive group of students to actively involve them in the project. However, we expect that, as a result of the project, new activities will be designed and performed.

Keywords:

Gender, sustainability, social inclusion, skills.