Abstract:

The “Active and Participatory Methodology, University Teaching and Web 2.0 Tools” project’s general aims are to systematize, apply and evaluate a set of participatory methodologies for the acquisition of specific transversal competences (in the educational field) and to use Web 2.0 tools (specifically Facebook) as a communication medium in which to analyze and promote these competences. The introduction of the participatory methodologies has a specific meaning and weight on the course, since the students who are now both seeing them as an object of study and taking part in them as part of their learning process will have to apply them in their immediate future as professionals in education, and more specifically, in training. That is, participatory methodologies in this case do not only form part of their daily process of learning in the classroom, but also constitute part of the knowledge and skills which they will have to be familiar with and apply in their future professional practice. The methodology forms an intrinsic part of the course contents.

In addition to the acquisition and development of these competences, the teaching team has included a Facebook profile on the course, through which we reflect on the application of the above-mentioned methodology, complementing what we have worked on in class with other material. As Llorens y Capdeferro (2011:33) argue, although “Facebook is an example of a Web 2.0 social network which has great potential in education, although it was not conceived of as an medium for building and managing learning experiences”, in our view the possibility of being able to build and broaden new knowledge through Facebook affords an opportunity on a course aiming to train future trainers.

Objectives of the project
- Bearing this background in mind, the objectives of the innovation are:
- To systematically apply participatory methodologies making up both method and contents on the “Design, Development and Evaluation in Education” course. This means consolidating the basic contents of the through strategies which will later be useful to students in their professional fields.
- To validate which specific basic competences (relevant to education) to incorporate on the basis of the use of the participatory methodologies applied on the course, and how Web 2.0 tools can help to develop or promote them.
- To incorporate Facebook as a tool for exchange and reflection, widening and deepening knowledge of the various participatory methodologies applied. Although it was not conceived as a central element of the course, the use of FB has been included with the aim of sharing and consolidating certain educational competences and knowledge.

From the methodological perspective, the project was carried out following these steps:
1) Firstly, we made a study and selection of participatory student-centered methodologies.
2) In order to apply appropriately the participatory strategies chosen, we have articulated a set of internal training actions aimed at the course teachers, bearing constantly in mind the existing diversity of teaching experience amongst them.
3) The third phase consisted in the application of the participatory methodologies in the classroom.
Starting, dynamizing and tracking the Facebook page, from the beginning of the course.
4) Analysis of the generated data.

Keywords:

Participatory and active methodology, university teaching, Facebook.