Assessing writing, assessing learning. A practical guide for evaluating and reporting on writing instruction programs.

Postprint (published version

Empowering teachers in maritime education and training (MET) through gender-equality training: A bottom-up approach for the implementation of current legislation

An increasing awareness of gender equality in the maritime sector is notable in recent years. While it is a good step forward, gender equality is often integrated into a diversity management agenda for leaders, but it is unclear how to apply the philosophy of gender equality in Maritime Education and Training (MET) led by teachers. It is evident that top-down approaches for the implementation of gender policies are often insufficient to achieve gender equality because they may fail to provide tools for an effective application and to recognize and consider the autonomy of practitioners who can actively contribute to gender equality with their work in different useful manners. The paper argues that bottom-up approaches can become an efficient method for the incorporation of gender mainstreaming by increasing the participation of practitioners and actively involving them in transforming their attitudes, practices and work methods. A balance between top-down and bottom-up approaches seems a desirable option as it combines the efficiency and leadership of the top-down approach with the collaborative advantages that come from the whole team. Finally, the paper addresses the role of the IAMU community to work together for gender equality in the context of MET.Postprint (published version

Cómo despertar la conciencia lingüística de los estudiantes sobre la comunicación técnica escrita a través de un manual adaptado al EEES

Postprint (published version

Female figures in maritime education and training institutions between 2009 and 2018: analysing possible impacts of gender policies

This paper intends to provide a figure analysis of female students in Maritime Education and Training (MET) institutions over a decade (2009-2018) with the aim to analyse the possible impact of the gender equality policies applied. In recent years, while there has been an increase of female students in many technical degrees, in maritime education the gender imbalance seems to persist. This study of female student enrolment and graduation figures of some MET institutions provides a picture of current trends in the maritime education sector. The results are not very encouraging as they reveal an unchanging tendency concerning gender equality in this field of studies. In addition, the analysis of gender policies unveils that there is still a lot of work to be done. Such policies are scarce or inexistent and do not have a significant effect towards reducing this gender gap. In order to identify possible parallelisms in the professional sector, we also analysed the percentages of women in deck and engine positions issued by the Spanish Maritime Administration during the period studied. The case of Spain shows that this gender inequality is even more profound in the maritime professional sector. The study concludes that in spite of an increasing awareness the gender gap continues both in the educational and professional sector. Hence, the joint involvement of national maritime administrations and international maritime organisations and agencies is needed to develop more effective gender equality policies and programmes for a more egalitarian and inclusive maritime training and professional sectorPostprint (author's final draft

Simulation-based model course to demonstrate seafarers' competence for deck officers' discipline

Postprint (published version

STEM students’ perception of gender mainstreaming in teaching: the development of a measuring tool

This study assesses the development process of a tool to measure students’ perceptions of gender mainstreaming in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) studies. Within the framework of a pilot project named Gender Dimension in Teaching implemented at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC), a group of 35 teachers worked during one semester on how to introduce the gender perspective in their teaching. This aim is especially relevant when considering STEM studies, since they have traditionally been defined as gender-neutral when, in fact, they are gender-blind. The teachers that participate in the project cover a wide range of STEM studies, including Architecture, Civil Engineering, ICT Systems Engineering, Naval Systems and Technology Engineering, Aerospace Systems Engineering, Applied Telecommunications and Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering and Environmental Pathways for Sustainable Energy Systems. The project is part of the III Gender Equality Plan at the UPC and is supported by GEECCO project, which receives funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme. The Gender Dimension in Teaching project focuses on the four pillars of teaching (i.e. contents, classroom management, methodology and assessment), which were revised from a gender perspective. Within each pillar, gender issues were identified according to the experienced perception of the project participants. These gender issues included, for instance, gender differences in classroom participation, the stereotypical roles adopted in teamwork activities, the use of female references as models for students, the adoption of a gender-inclusive language by both teachers and students, the use of stereotypes in teaching materials, gender bias in assessment, etc. However, uncertainty aroused concerning the reliability of such a perception. Indeed, teachers’ perception might be influenced by stereotypes and prejudices that could alter the identification of gender issues. Hence, it became obvious that more reliable data concerning students’ perceptions was needed. To this end, a first set of questions was collaboratively defined and a first survey was developed using Google Forms. The survey was tested at the beginning of the semester in 8 different UPC degrees, both at Bachelor and Master level, obtaining more than 500 answers. Despite some interesting preliminary results, a detailed revision of the questionnaire was conducted in order to remove some acquiescence bias and formal errors, thus improving the quality of the survey for a more global study. The improvement process included discussions among the members of the Gender Dimension in Teaching project, and discussions with the Feminist Assembly of the Industrial Engineering School at the UPC. As a final step, this revised survey was tested and discussed with a small sample of students. As a result, an improved survey to assess student’s perceptions of gender mainstreaming in STEM studies has been collaboratively obtained, which may become an essential tool for further studies extended to all the university community.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

A UPC innovation teaching project for the incorporation of the gender perspective in nautical, marine and naval engineering

There has been a rising awareness in recent years of the gender inequalities within STEM-related programmes and the need to overcome them and so bridge the gender gap in these academic disciplines. Different initiatives have arisen, among which there are gender equality policies, regulations and programmes. In line with this, the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU) promoted a regulation for the incorporation of the gender perspective in all the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in tertiary education in Catalonia by 2021. To comply with this regulation and also to promote a culture of equity and equality of opportunities for women, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) fostered different projects within its community. One of these projects has been developed by the Gender Equality Commission at Barcelona School of Nautical Studies and consists in the development of a web platform with resources for lecturers to incorporate this new transversal competence of gender perspective in the nautical, marine and naval engineering study plans. The main objective of this teaching innovation project is to aid teachers with the incorporation of this competence not only by providing online tools and resources but also gender-focused teacher training to allow them to design tailor-made activities and strategies. Some tests were also administered to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of these newly-designed gender equality teaching practices and some sample study plans and activities were developed to serve as a model and example of good practices for the incorporation of gender mainstreaming in the disciplines of nautical, marine and naval engineering

English for academic purposes : learning english through the web

This is a virtual elective course for university students who need to use English in their academic work. This means that this subject is not related to a particular degree course (engineering, biology, law, etc.) but it aims to help students develop their language learning skills and at the same time to foster extensive practice in language use, with the Internet as the basic learning tool. Therefore, this is an instrumental course which is essentially practical and emphasizes communication rather than language study. It differs from a traditional language course in that it has been designed basically as a tool to help students learn to learn English. That is to say, the syllabus is not based on specific language content graded in terms of difficulty, but it is composed of a series of practical activities to encourage students to learn English effectively and independently, by choosing materials suited to their level of English and to their learning style. For this reason, this course can be taken by students with different levels of English as long as they are familiar with the basic structures of the language and can more or less communicate in English