By Sebastián Royo, Senior Program Officer, LASPAU
The Programa para la Excelencia Académica y la Organización del Conocimiento (PLATON) seeks to strengthen institutions of higher education in order to foster academic excellence and to provide faculty with the necessary theoretical and practical instruments to operate effectively within the context of the Bologna Declaration, which sets education standards for the countries of the European Union. The Fundación Sergio Arboleda–San Pablo, a nonprofit organization that develops educational initiatives for Spain and the countries of Latin America, has been working with LASPAU since the spring of 2004 to design the program.
The Fundación has four affiliated universities: Universidad San Pablo–CEU in Madrid, Spain; Universidad Cardenal Herrera–CEU in Valencia, Spain; Universidad Abat Oliba–CEU in Barcelona, Spain; and Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Bogotá, Colombia. PLATON is inspired by the principles of responsibility, excellence, and liberty that guide the activities of the universities.
As part of PLATON, LASPAU organized two seminars that took place at Harvard University in July 2004.
The Seminar on the Art of Research brought ten Colombian faculty members from the Universidad Sergio Arboleda to Harvard University for a three-day symposium. Top scholars from Harvard discussed with the participants how research is conducted in a leading academic institution and analyzed how to combine research and teaching.
The Seminar on the Art of Teaching was the first component of a long-term effort in three stages (training, dissemination, and implementation) developed for faculty of the three Spanish universities associated with the Fundación. The seminar included an on-line segment that took place over three weeks in June, followed by an onsite workshop at Harvard University in July, for which LASPAU hosted 25 faculty members from Spain. The seminar took place at Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning and was taught by faculty from the Center. It focused on the teaching methodology necessary to operate within the recently established European System of Credits and covered topics such as case analysis, interactive learning, and effective presentation skills.
LASPAU is now working with the Fundación Sergio Arboleda–San Pablo to develop the next phases of the program.
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If you are interested in further information about this or any of LASPAU's other seminars, workshops, or related services, please contact Angelica Natera, LASPAU's development and program specialist at angelica_natera@harvard.edu or 617- 495 -0488.
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