PECHAKUCHA NIGHT ON HUMAN RIGHTS: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY EXPERIENCE FROM THE COMPLUTENSE UNIVERSITY OF MADRID

PechaKucha (Japanese word that imitates the sound of a conversation) is a presentation format in which a piece of work, project or idea is exposed through 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each. Originally created as a meeting point for young designers so they could show their work in public and exchange views on the so-called “PechaKucha Nights”, now the format has spread to other areas including photography, architecture and art, and recently the business world. The ultimate goal is to get a high level of interest and attention in the audience using very concise presentations with a duration of 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The aim of this innovative teaching experience was to promote, using PechaKucha, the development of cross-curricular competencies, i.e. the generic aspects of knowledge, skills and abilities that graduate students should have to enter the labor market, and in general as citizens. The characteristics of this format make it especially suitable to foster these skills at 3 different levels:
i) basic skills in which cognitive abilities, methodological abilities, technological abilities and linguistic skills are included;
ii) personal skills related to individual skills and social skills; and
iii) systemic competencies, skills and abilities of the individual concerning the understanding of complex systems.

More specifically, presentations in PechaKucha format are suitable to acquire conciseness and creativity. Nowadays, these characteristics are highly valued by employers and in the interaction with others in different contexts.

Human Rights were chosen as a topic because they are the conditions that create an integrated relationship between the individual and society, allowing individuals to be legal persons and identifying with themselves and the others, so their importance for the training of University students becomes essential in the reality of the XXI century.

Students from various degrees covering the different branches of knowledge (Health Sciences, Science, Social Sciences and Humanities) took part in the experience. Participating professors were in charge of several groups of students from the subjects they taught, tackling one or more human rights. These were in line with the specific contents of the degrees to which students belonged. The students had to prepare a presentation on issues related to the assigned human right with the supervision of professors following the PechaKucha format guidelines. In order to achieve the goals of the activity, students had to use different sources of information, such as databases, repositories, articles, monographs, etc. The management of these sources had to follow the principles of scientific rigor and quality. Ethical principles of scientific research and professional practice were also incorporated. Finally, the ability of working both, independently and in teams was trained in order to improve skills related with multidisciplinary group work as well as acquisition of decision-making capacity, creativity and initiative. The activity culminated with an open event entitled “Interdisciplinary PechaKucha Night on Human Rights” where students showed and defended their presentations.