Competencias profesionales y su desarrollo mediante aprendizaje-servicio en la universidad: perspectiva de los empleadores

Introducirse en el mundo laboral es costoso y uno de los primeros obstáculos es el déficit competencial que, en ocasiones, presentan los universitarios. Para subsanar el exceso de una teoría descontextualizada, el EEES (Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior) ha auspiciado un cambio metodológico que fomenta una docencia más práctica, ya que el aprendizaje más efectivo es activo y está conectado con la experiencia. De este modo, la enseñanza universitaria se enfoca, entre otros aspectos, en la consecución de resultados de aprendizaje en forma de competencias asociadas al mercado laboral. En este contexto se están ensayando en la universidad [española] metodologías más prácticas y aplicadas, entre ellas, el Aprendizaje-Servicio. El objetivo de este trabajo es conocer si para los empleadores participantes en nuestro estudio, los universitarios que participan en actividades de Aprendizaje-Servicio desarrollan el perfil competencial que buscan, haciéndoles candidatos más atractivos en los procesos de selección, mejorando en consecuencia su empleabilidad. Para ello, se desarrolló una investigación cualitativa genérica. Se realizaron tres grupos focales en los que participaron por muestreo intencional trece empleadores de egresados de distintas facultades de la universidad, pertenecientes a distintos sectores. La guía temática incluía preguntas sobre las competencias más demandadas por los empleadores, el Aprendizaje-Servicio y su influencia en el perfil profesional. La transcripción textual fue analizada mediante análisis de contenido inductivo por dos investigadores. En el apartado de resultados y discusión se constató que, para los empleadores consultados, los alumnos que participan en actividades de Aprendizaje- Servicio en la universidad, desarrollan algunas de las competencias profesionales más demandadas en el mundo laboral, incidiendo positivamente en su empleabilidad.Entering the labour force is onerous and one of the first obstacles is, on occasion, the competence shortcomings of university students. To correct the excess of a decontextualized theory, the EHEA (European Higher Education Area) has sponsored a methodological change that encourages more practical teaching, since the most effective learning is active and connected with experience. In this way, university teaching focuses, among other aspects, on achieving learning results in the form of competences associated with the labour market. In this context, more practical and applied methodologies are being tested at the university, including Service-Learning. The objective of this study is to find out whether, for the employers participating in our study, the university students who participate in these Service-Learning activities develop the competency profile they are looking for, making them more attractive candidates in the selection processes, consequently improving their employability. Generic quantitative research has been carried out. A purposive sampling of the employers of graduates from different university faculties was adopted. Three focal groups were formed using a topic guide, which addressed: the professional competences most demanded by employers; the repercussion of the teaching focus on employability; the social involvement capacity of their employees; Service-Learning and its influence on professional profile. 13 employers from different fields participated. Audio clips of the focal groups were recorded and their transcription was analysed by two researchers using content analysis. In the view of the employers consulted, students who participate in Service-Learning activities at the university develop some of the most in-demand professional competences, which positively affect their employability

Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon¹⁻³. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses⁴⁻⁹. As pressures mount, it is vital to know whether existing reserves can sustain their biodiversity. A critical constraint in addressing this question has been that data describing a broad array of biodiversity groups have been unavailable for a sufficiently large and representative sample of reserves. Here we present a uniquely comprehensive data set on changes over the past 20 to 30 years in 31 functional groups of species and 21 potential drivers of environmental change, for 60 protected areas stratified across the world’s major tropical regions. Our analysis reveals great variation in reserve ‘health’: about half of all reserves have been effective or performed passably, but the rest are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity that is often alarmingly widespread taxonomically and functionally. Habitat disruption, hunting and forest-product exploitation were the strongest predictors of declining reserve health. Crucially, environmental changes immediately outside reserves seemed nearly as important as those inside in determining their ecological fate, with changes inside reserves strongly mirroring those occurring around them. These findings suggest that tropical protected areas are often intimately linked ecologically to their surrounding habitats, and that a failure to stem broad-scale loss and degradation of such habitats could sharply increase the likelihood of serious biodiversity declines.Keywords: Ecology, Environmental scienc

Participación de los universitarios en proyectos de aprendizaje servicio e incidencia en su empleabilidad

Esta comunicación se enmarca en el contexto del proyecto de investigación nacional “Aprendizaje-Servicio e Innovación en la Universidad. Un programa para la mejora del rendimiento académico y el capital social de los estudiantes”. Este estudio, que se está llevando a cabo entre seis universidades españolas, pretende averiguar la vinculación entre el desarrollo de competencias sociales en la universidad y la inserción profesional de los estudiante

Participación de los universitarios en proyectos de aprendizaje servicio e incidencia en su empleabilidad

Esta comunicación se enmarca en el contexto del proyecto de investigación nacional “Aprendizaje-Servicio e Innovación en la Universidad. Un programa para la mejora del rendimiento académico y el capital social de los estudiantes”. Este estudio, que se está llevando a cabo entre seis universidades españolas, pretende averiguar la vinculación entre el desarrollo de competencias sociales en la universidad y la inserción profesional de los estudiante

Competencias profesionales y su desarrollo mediante aprendizaje-servicio en la universidad: perspectiva de los empleadores

Introducirse en el mundo laboral es costoso y uno de los primeros obstáculos es el déficit competencial que, en ocasiones, presentan los universitarios. Para subsanar el exceso de una teoría descontextualizada, el EEES (Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior) ha auspiciado un cambio metodológico que fomenta una docencia más práctica, ya que el aprendizaje más efectivo es activo y está conectado con la experiencia. De este modo, la enseñanza universitaria se enfoca, entre otros aspectos, en la consecución de resultados de aprendizaje en forma de competencias asociadas al mercado laboral. En este contexto se están ensayando en la universidad [española] metodologías más prácticas y aplicadas, entre ellas, el Aprendizaje-Servicio. El objetivo de este trabajo es conocer si para los empleadores participantes en nuestro estudio, los universitarios que participan en actividades de Aprendizaje-Servicio desarrollan el perfil competencial que buscan, haciéndoles candidatos más atractivos en los procesos de selección, mejorando en consecuencia su empleabilidad. Para ello, se desarrolló una investigación cualitativa genérica. Se realizaron tres grupos focales en los que participaron por muestreo intencional trece empleadores de egresados de distintas facultades de la universidad, pertenecientes a distintos sectores. La guía temática incluía preguntas sobre las competencias más demandadas por los empleadores, el Aprendizaje-Servicio y su influencia en el perfil profesional. La transcripción textual fue analizada mediante análisis de contenido inductivo por dos investigadores. En el apartado de resultados y discusión se constató que, para los empleadores consultados, los alumnos que participan en actividades de Aprendizaje- Servicio en la universidad, desarrollan algunas de las competencias profesionales más demandadas en el mundo laboral, incidiendo positivamente en su empleabilidad.Entering the labour force is onerous and one of the first obstacles is, on occasion, the competence shortcomings of university students. To correct the excess of a decontextualized theory, the EHEA (European Higher Education Area) has sponsored a methodological change that encourages more practical teaching, since the most effective learning is active and connected with experience. In this way, university teaching focuses, among other aspects, on achieving learning results in the form of competences associated with the labour market. In this context, more practical and applied methodologies are being tested at the university, including Service-Learning. The objective of this study is to find out whether, for the employers participating in our study, the university students who participate in these Service-Learning activities develop the competency profile they are looking for, making them more attractive candidates in the selection processes, consequently improving their employability. Generic quantitative research has been carried out. A purposive sampling of the employers of graduates from different university faculties was adopted. Three focal groups were formed using a topic guide, which addressed: the professional competences most demanded by employers; the repercussion of the teaching focus on employability; the social involvement capacity of their employees; Service-Learning and its influence on professional profile. 13 employers from different fields participated. Audio clips of the focal groups were recorded and their transcription was analysed by two researchers using content analysis. In the view of the employers consulted, students who participate in Service-Learning activities at the university develop some of the most in-demand professional competences, which positively affect their employability

Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses. As pressures mount, it is vital to know whether existing reserves can sustain their biodiversity. A critical constraint in addressing this question has been that data describing a broad array of biodiversity groups have been unavailable for a sufficiently large and representative sample of reserves. Here we present a uniquely comprehensive data set on changes over the past 20 to 30 years in 31 functional groups of species and 21 potential drivers of environmental change, for 60 protected areas stratified across the world’s major tropical regions. Our analysis reveals great variation in reserve ‘health’: about half of all reserves have been effective or performed passably, but the rest are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity that is often alarmingly widespread taxonomically and functionally. Habitat disruption, hunting and forest-product exploitation were the strongest predictors of declining reserve health. Crucially, environmental changes immediately outside reserves seemed nearly as important as those inside in determining their ecological fate, with changes inside reserves strongly mirroring those occurring around them. These findings suggest that tropical protected areas are often intimately linked ecologically to their surrounding habitats, and that a failure to stem broad-scale loss and degradation of such habitats could sharply increase the likelihood of serious biodiversity declines.William F. Laurance, D. Carolina Useche, Julio Rendeiro, Margareta Kalka, Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Sean P. Sloan, Susan G. Laurance, Mason Campbell, Kate Abernethy, Patricia Alvarez, Victor Arroyo-Rodriguez, Peter Ashton, Julieta Benítez-Malvido, Allard Blom, Kadiri S. Bobo, Charles H. Cannon, Min Cao, Richard Carroll, Colin Chapman, Rosamond Coates, Marina Cords, Finn Danielsen, Bart De Dijn, Eric Dinerstein, Maureen A. Donnelly, David Edwards, Felicity Edwards, Nina Farwig, Peter Fashing, Pierre-Michel Forget, Mercedes Foster, George Gale, David Harris, Rhett Harrison, John Hart, Sarah Karpanty, W. John Kress, Jagdish Krishnaswamy, Willis Logsdon, Jon Lovett, William Magnusson, Fiona Maisels, Andrew R. Marshall, Deedra McClearn, Divya Mudappa, Martin R. Nielsen, Richard Pearson, Nigel Pitman, Jan van der Ploeg, Andrew Plumptre, John Poulsen, Mauricio Quesada, Hugo Rainey, Douglas Robinson, Christiane Roetgers, Francesco Rovero, Frederick Scatena, Christian Schulze, Douglas Sheil, Thomas Struhsaker, John Terborgh, Duncan Thomas, Robert Timm, J. Nicolas Urbina-Cardona, Karthikeyan Vasudevan, S. Joseph Wright, Juan Carlos Arias-G., Luzmila Arroyo, Mark Ashton, Philippe Auzel, Dennis Babaasa, Fred Babweteera, Patrick Baker, Olaf Banki, Margot Bass, Inogwabini Bila-Isia, Stephen Blake, Warren Brockelman, Nicholas Brokaw, Carsten A. Brühl, Sarayudh Bunyavejchewin, Jung-Tai Chao, Jerome Chave, Ravi Chellam, Connie J. Clark, José Clavijo, Robert Congdon, Richard Corlett, H. S. Dattaraja, Chittaranjan Dave, Glyn Davies, Beatriz de Mello Beisiegel, Rosa de Nazaré Paes da Silva, Anthony Di Fiore, Arvin Diesmos, Rodolfo Dirzo, Diane Doran-Sheehy, Mitchell Eaton, Louise Emmons, Alejandro Estrada, Corneille Ewango, Linda Fedigan, François Feer, Barbara Fruth, Jacalyn Giacalone Willis, Uromi Goodale, Steven Goodman, Juan C. Guix, Paul Guthiga, William Haber, Keith Hamer, Ilka Herbinger, Jane Hill, Zhongliang Huang, I Fang Sun, Kalan Ickes, Akira Itoh, Natália Ivanauskas, Betsy Jackes, John Janovec, Daniel Janzen, Mo Jiangming, Chen Jin, Trevor Jones, Hermes Justiniano, Elisabeth Kalko, Aventino Kasangaki, Timothy Killeen, Hen-biau King, Erik Klop, Cheryl Knott, Inza Koné, Enoka Kudavidanage, José Lahoz da Silva Ribeiro, John Lattke, Richard Laval, Robert Lawton, Miguel Leal, Mark Leighton, Miguel Lentino, Cristiane Leonel, Jeremy Lindsell, Lee Ling-Ling, K. Eduard Linsenmair, Elizabeth Losos, Ariel Lugo, Jeremiah Lwanga, Andrew L. Mack, Marlucia Martins, W. Scott McGraw, Roan McNab, Luciano Montag, Jo Myers Thompson, Jacob Nabe-Nielsen, Michiko Nakagawa, Sanjay Nepal, Marilyn Norconk, Vojtech Novotny, Sean O'Donnell, Muse Opiang, Paul Ouboter, Kenneth Parker, N. Parthasarathy, Kátia Pisciotta, Dewi Prawiradilaga, Catherine Pringle, Subaraj Rajathurai, Ulrich Reichard, Gay Reinartz, Katherine Renton, Glen Reynolds, Vernon Reynolds, Erin Riley, Mark-Oliver Rödel, Jessica Rothman, Philip Round, Shoko Sakai, Tania Sanaiotti, Tommaso Savini, Gertrud Schaab, John Seidensticker, Alhaji Siaka, Miles R. Silman, Thomas B. Smith, Samuel Soares de Almeida, Navjot Sodhi, Craig Stanford, Kristine Stewart, Emma Stokes, Kathryn E. Stoner, Raman Sukumar, Martin Surbeck, Mathias Tobler, Teja Tscharntke, Andrea Turkalo, Govindaswamy Umapathy, Merlijn van Weerd, Jorge Vega Rivera, Meena Venkataraman, Linda Venn, Carlos Verea, Carolina Volkmer de Castilho, Matthias Waltert, Benjamin Wang, David Watts, William Weber, Paige West, David Whitacre, Ken Whitney, David Wilkie, Stephen Williams, Debra D. Wright, Patricia Wright, Lu Xiankai, Pralad Yonzon & Franky Zamzan