Beyond teaching innovation: from innovation to knowledge, from knowledge to support, and from support to teaching renovation at the University of Barcelona

Abstract

The introduction of the new degrees as laid out in the EHEA directives poses a number of challenges for the teaching community in general and for this university in particular. This article reports on the actions taken since the beginning of 2010 by those responsible for developing strategies to support improvements and innovation in teaching with a view to defining a new model suited to the needs of the main agent of teaching innovation: the teaching staff. The article begins with a description of the current innovation support model at Barcelona University, its objectives and the steps taken to foster innovation in teaching. A reflection on the current model led to an exchange of experiences and opinions between those responsible for developing the model and those at whom it is primarily aimed: the UB teaching staff. A description is given of the process of reflection which was carried out through a number of workshops on innovation in teaching focusing on the five areas of innovation that were most prevalent in the latest call for teaching innovation projects. The conclusions and dissemination of the work done in these workshops were presented at a conference entitled “Synergies between teaching innovation and the EHEA”, open to all UB teaching staff, held on 4 March 2011. The conclusions of this conference serve as a summary of this article and the process described here.