Abstract:

Introduction:
One of the main axes of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) to achieve the 2030 Agenda goals is to “transform the University into an institution that promotes sustainable development, inclusion and social commitment”. To this end, the UPV/EHU sets some Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that must be included in the students’ curricular development. In this sense, Bachelor’s thesis allows students to develop highly specific transversal competencies, that will be very useful in professional and social sphere, and is also an ideal tool for promoting social commitment. Our group has developed a project aimed at integrating transversal competences and establishing a commitment to these SDGs in the Degree theses done by students from different Bachelor's degrees in the Health Sciences area. Despite students positively assessed the methodology proposed in the project´s context, we found several limitations that reduced the chance to conduct a quantitative analysis of the project results. The goal of this study was to identify the weaknesses of the previous project and to implement methodological adjustments that would allow us to quantify the synergistic impact that this multidisciplinary project could have on the curriculum of students from different degrees.

Methodology:
Good health and Well-being (SDG3) and Quality Education (SDG4) goals were included in the project. Undergraduates from the Faculty of Medicine and Nursing and the Faculty of Pharmacy worked cooperatively to develop their Bachelor’s thesis; all related to the overall topic "Health and aging". The updated and contrasted information obtained from these works is transmitted in the form of recommendations to the population through social networks. Students are trained in the importance of working through evidence-based information and on the importance of recommendations on health issues focused on the population (SDG3, SDG4).Three working sessions were planned to promote cooperative learning. In the first one, the participants introduced their projects. In the second, students pooled their knowledge and in the third, students made an oral presentation of their works to improve the work before their official defense. During this process, students developed their Bachelor’s thesis autonomously (inquiry/research-based learning, RBL). Students´opinion was gathered through satisfaction surveys.

Results:
Students positively valued the interaction with their supervisors and with students from other grades, valuating very positively the effect of the methodology on a deeper knowledge of the subject and the tutor's work. They pointed out that this type of methodology should be used more often in undergraduate studies. However, only 6 from 13 students responded to the final survey. We found difficulties in motivating students and organizing multidisciplinary meetings due to different academic calendars. In addition, no specific tools to study the project´s impact on the development of the SDGs in the student´s curriculum were included. Thus, among potential improvements, we highlight the following ones: offering students specific topics focused on a common topic, carrying out an integrated planning of the group sessions, including in the questionnaires items that assess both the acquisition of transversal competences and the incorporation of SDGs, and encouraging the dissemination of the students’ work to society in the form of information pills through social networks.

Keywords:

Bachelor Thesis, active methodology, SDG.