UVic is developing its new Postgraduate School to establish itself in the knowledge areas where it is strongest

UVic has founded the Postgraduate School, which is taking over from the institution's International Centre for Continuing Education, in order to enhance and improve the focus of its lifelong learning courses. This change in the School's name and structure is recognition of its equal status to the lifelong learning centres at other universities in the country, while at the same time it becomes the cornerstone for a future lifelong learning centre which will include the postgraduate schools of the four federated centres working under the UVic-UCC umbrella.

Expanding the range of courses in its knowledge areas

One of the objectives of the Postgraduate School is to expand its range of courses in the knowledge areas in which the University is strongest, including health, education, business and communication and biosciences and technology. "If 60% of our students are studying in the fields of health and education, then the lifelong learning we offer should reflect this. This will enable us to attract students who have finished their bachelor's degree at UVic and who therefore want to continue enhancing their knowledge; we will be able to attract more people from elsewhere who have studied at other universities in the country and in the world, as our range of courses will appeal to them, and at the same time we will be able to provide a better service to the business and social community," says Eduard Prats, the director of the Postgraduate School.

Expanding the UVic range, offering new formats and consolidating our presence in Barcelona

In order for this to happen "it is important that we aim to enhance the UVic range of courses, led by our own teaching and research staff, while maintaining our links with strategic affiliated and validated centres, which contribute value with their innovative learning models," says Prats. An example of this is the recently signed agreement with the Nuclio Digital School centre.

The distinctive feature of the new range of courses at the Postgraduate School will be a more dynamic and flexible methodology, in which blended formats will play a key role. This means that online training will feature more heavily, with synchronous and asynchronous sessions, self-corrective assessments, and projects that require tutoring, among other features. The value of face-to-face sessions will also be enhanced with a view "to making them more experience-based for students, such as visits to companies and facilities, and attendance at all kinds of events that make physically coming to class more worthwhile." This dynamism will also be reflected in the fact that the range of courses will be announced throughout the academic year, and not just at the beginning.

These measures aim to reach the widest possible target audience, both in Spain and internationally, "without forgetting that one of the University's goals is to provide a service to our region and to give the people who live around us the same opportunities as those who live in other areas where there is much wider range of courses," points out Prats. This methodology also means that it is possible to recruit renowned teachers from other regions who might not be able to join if they had to move.

According to the director of the School, being able to expand the range of lifelong learning courses in Barcelona is also important. The programme currently available is Study Abroad, which has organised stable training programmes for some years. These offer foreign students the opportunity to spend one or two semesters taking courses related to the world of business, communication and design.

The cornerstone of the future UVic-UCC lifelong learning centre

The Postgraduate School is supported by the Validation and Accreditation Unit, which is headed by the rector's delegate for Lifelong Learning, Josep Ayats. This unit is responsible for ensuring that all the courses offered at the various centres of the UVic-UCC federation meet the same standards of quality. One of the goals set out by the UVic-UCC rector's team, led by Josep Eladi Baños, is for the UVic Postgraduate School to define the path for the future lifelong learning centre, which will include the postgraduate schools of the federated institution under one umbrella. This centre will be responsible for the overall extent profile of the academic range of lifelong learning courses offered by the university as a whole.