teach in spain - UW Study Abroad

academic information
54 academic information
ACADEMIC FACTS
Introduction to Academic Culture in Spain
The Spanish university system differs in many ways from that of the United States. CIEE Seville
Resident Staff make every effort to explain these differences to you during orientation. If you have
any questions, please feel free to contact us for clarification.
The largest and most prestigious Spanish universities are run by the state. An overwhelming
majority of Spanish students want to enter these state universities, not private ones. This means
that there are many students (over 65,000 currently at the Universidad de Sevilla and 9,000 at the
Universidad Pablo de Olavide) and overcrowding may be a problem. Degree curricula are determined
by the state. Because of the size of the university system, power has become concentrated
in individual departments within the facultades (colleges of the university). Bureaucracy is everywhere.
Paperwork is never-ending and rules and regulations exist for everything. Flexibility and
special exceptions are not the norm in the daily administration of the Spanish university system.
Teaching methods and styles are different. In Spain, there tends to be less classroom discussion
and an expectation on the part of the professors that students will do a great deal of independent
reading in order to learn as much as possible about the subject at hand. Professors expect
students to go beyond the ideas broached in class lectures by citing secondary sources and
other scholarly works on exams and papers. Repeating what the professor said word for word in
an exam will not guarantee an excellent grade. Grading standards are tough, and many a brilliant
Spanish student has given thanks for a “C” earned in a class for which they were well-prepared.
Relationships between students and teachers are more formal. Being a catedrático (a tenured
professor) is a big deal in Spain; it is a position of prestige and pride. Catedráticos have passed
several state exams to get the position they have. Student evaluations do not play a role in securing
nor maintaining university teaching jobs. This means that the professor is not concerned about
entertaining students or keeping their attention. The professors provide their expertise through
lectures, whether interesting, dynamic, or boring. Just like in the United States, some professors
may be wonderful communicators and others less so. If you ever feel as though a professor´s behavior
is inappropriate in an academic setting, please talk with Resident Staff so that we can help.
The Bologna Process in Europe
The Bologna Process is the process of creating the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and
is based on cooperation between ministries, higher education institutions, students and staff from
46 countries, with the participation of international organizations.
The Bologna Process has three priorities:
• Adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees in order to promote
European citizens employability and the international competitiveness of the European higher
education system.
• Adoption of a system essentially based on two main cycles, undergraduate and graduate.
The second cycle should lead to the master and/or doctorate degree as in many European
countries.
• Establishment of a system of credits - such as in the ECTS system – as a proper means of
promoting the most widespread student mobility.
The Bologna Process will be represent change for the Spanish University system. As you know,
some people and bureaucracies adapt differently to change and Bologna has been a controversial
issue within the university community.
If you would like more information on Bologna, please check out the following sites::
The Bologna Process at University of Seville (Spanish)
http://www.us.es/estudios/nuevosplanes
Frequently Asked Questions: the Bologna Process (English)
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/170&format=HTML&aged=0
&language=EN&guiLanguage=en#fn1