The University of Lleida offers, from the 2006-2007 academic year, the title of Senior Diploma in Culture, Science and Technology, for people over 50 years old, with the objective of responding to the needs of higher education of groups They had kept away from this educational level due to multiple circumstances. The University of Lleida considered at the time that it had to assume this responsibility with the territory and its citizens and it has been doing so during the last years.

At the moment, in which the UdL is promoting important reforms and with will that are structural in teaching and training, both in official degrees, as in the own degrees and continuing education courses, this degree, so special, does not it could be less, because the situation of its surroundings, in a very determined socioeconomic situation, has also undergone modifications that are necessary to keep in mind.

In this context, the UdL wants to redefine the title of Diploma and Senior Diploma in Culture, Science and Technology, with the aim of continuing to respond not only to the diversity of students but also to the needs that this group now has.

For all these reasons, a new training proposal is designed, which is set out below.

In the first place, the term ‘society’ is added to the current denomination, since the curriculum significantly increases the offer of content in this area. It is, therefore, consistent and consistent to give full visibility to this aspect without prejudice to other elements, which will continue to be present. Thus, the new denomination is:

Senior Diplomat in Culture, Science, Technology and Society

The title of Senior Diploma in Culture, Science, Technology and Society continues to be articulated from the educational and academic approaches of the European Higher Education Area, so that the pedagogical criteria focus on the figure of the student and his work. For this reason, the basic academic unit is the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credit, valued at 25 student work hours. This assessment includes all the activities that students have to develop: attendance at classes, completion of practices and work, readings, exits, autonomous study and evaluation.

Thus, the subjects are programmed according to this criterion. In general, for the title of Senior Diplomate, 3 credits are considered as the optimal measure of a four-month subject, although there are also 6, according to certain specific characteristics.

The structure of the degree is maintained with the cycle of four academic courses, each divided into two four-month periods.

The total number of credits that the student has to take to complete the degree is 144, of which each course must take up to a maximum of 36.

The student must pass the compulsory and optional credits assigned to each of the courses, in addition to 3 transversal credits / free choice and another 3 of their own configuration (ja social action credits per course and / or integrated credits and / or languages, as explained below) to conclude a course.

The subjects are always 3 credits, except the Computer Workshops that have 6. The unit of measure of the credits is 10 contact hours.

In relation to the type of credits and their distribution throughout the four courses, the curriculum is set up as follows:

Mandatory Credit

They comprise up to a total of 39 credits, of instrumental and basic contents, and are structured in:

a) Four subjects to achieve computer and technological skills, at the rate of 6 credits per course, from first to fourth:

- Computer workshop I

- Computer workshop II

- Computer workshop III

- IT workshop IV

b) Five subjects considered basic, of 3 credits each, with the following contents and to be taken in the periods indicated:

First course:

- Creative writing workshop

- Methodology of academic work

Fourth grade:

- Oral communication techniques

- Research and group work methodology

- Text writing and analysis workshop

In summary, the number of compulsory credits that students have to take is 15, of basic subjects, plus 24 computer credits, which make up the 39 compulsory credits.

Optional Credits

Students must take 93 credits of optional subjects during the 4 courses.

As for the type and contents, the optional credits are of diverse characteristics, as explained below:

a) Subjects of 3 credits of varied themes (see Study plan). In this sense, for the 2014-2015 academic year and later, the list of optional subjects of the plan in force until 2013-2014, will continue to be able to be activated, therefore, the list of optional subjects is potentially maintained. However, the programs and teaching guides of the different subjects to be activated will be reviewed to improve and update them. Likewise, in the future, the incorporation of new ones that can bring innovation to the plan will be promoted, replacing those that have shown less interest on the part of the student body.

b) Among the group of optional credits there is another set of specific subjects that are determined as their own configuration. The student body must study a minimum of 12 and up to a maximum of 18 credits of this type. The different possibilities of this set of credits are:

• Social action credits. They consist of carrying out a service-learning project. The student can choose from a wide range of entities and institutions of Lleida city and regions in which to carry out the educational intervention and community service. As evidence of evaluation, the student must prepare a report of the tasks performed or a field diary. The supervision of this subject would fall on the direction and coordination of the Senior Program, as well as the allocation of places and the monitoring of students. Students will have an offer of four social action subjects, one for each course and at the rate of 3 ECTS credits each, and which will appear in the Curriculum with the name of: Social action I, II, III and IV. This part of the Program is set in the line of social projection and the commitment of its students to society.

• Language Credits The student can take them at the Institute of Languages ​​of the University of Lleida. In this way the student can choose the language to study according to the existing offer (English, French, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Catalan, ...). This is not incompatible with the fact that among the optional subjects of group a), there may be others of the type: "English to travel" or "English language and culture", for example. The student can choose between the offer of courses either in the face-to-face or in the blended modality. The academic and economic management of the tuition will be carried out by the UdL Institute of Languages, where students must pay the tuition fee for the courses, which will be the UdL price (university community) and not the price for external students. Class schedules will be those established by the Institute of Languages, so they could co-exist with those of the Senior Program classes. At the time of enrollment, information on schedules will be given so that the student can select the one that is most appropriate, in the case of being interested in taking this modality. In order to recognize the language courses of the UdL Institute of Languages, the student must present the certificate of achievement of the course, which implies at least 80% attendance of the sessions and the completion of training activities Proposals by the teaching staff. The equivalence table will be based on: 10 training hours of languages ​​= 1 Senior Program credit. This equivalence will not imply any additional economic cost for the students by the Program. In case of rounding up hours for credits, it would be carried out upwards in favor of the student, as an example, a 108-hour English course would be validated for 12 credits. This is explained by the autonomous work that students will have to do outside the classroom.

• Integrated credits The different departments and / or faculties of the UdL may offer subjects to students of the Senior Program. This type of credits is committed to the educational value of interpersonal and intergenerational relationships as a source of learning. Each course, from the Center for Continuing Education, UdL departments will be asked if they are interested in offering any or some of the degree subjects to senior students. With the proposals of the departments, the list - with their description - of the subjects available for senior students will be prepared. This will mean that this student must be integrated into the teaching methodology and evaluation of the subject in question. For this reason, it will be recommended to students that, before formalizing the enrollment of a subject in an official degree, interview with the teacher responsible for it in order to know the objectives, competencies, level of advisable prior knowledge, content and evaluation activities. So you can finish deciding the enrollment of the course with full knowledge of what it means to take that course. At the time of enrollment, you will be informed of the degree subjects that make up the table of this type of electives. The student can thus choose those that may be of interest. The academic and economic management of the enrollment will be carried out from the Senior Program, in the Center for Continuing Education. Only students who have passed 72 credits of the Senior Program may enroll in these subjects.

Transversal credits / Free choice

As stated in the organization of university studies of the official degrees, this credit philosophy has also been implemented for the Senior Diploma. Thus, the student may obtain academic recognition in credits for participation in cultural, sports, solidarity and cooperation university activities.

The senior curriculum includes a recognition of up to 12 credits on the total curriculum for participation in the named activities, which must have a training, cultural and sports interest. Actions related to gender or cooperation issues will be recognized within this group; also the participation and attendance at congresses, symposiums or conferences organized by the UdL; Summer University courses; or those of Open Classroom and continuous training of the Center for Continuing Education.

Likewise, transverse credits / free choice will be recognized for activities of these characteristics offered by the Popular University of the City Council of Lleida, on the occasion of the relationship that the Senior Program has with the Regidoría de Educación y Infancia since its inception.

Classes will take place, Monday through Thursday, in the afternoon, between 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., depending on the number of subjects proposed for the same day, although some of the complementary or free-choice / transversal activities They could have different schedules.

The face-to-face activity of the 3-credit subjects will be two hours a week, some, on alternate days, and others, on a regular schedule. Only the Computer Workshops, due to their characteristics, will have a valuation of 6 credits, which involve 4 hours of class per week, on alternate days. The total face-to-face dedication per week will depend on the number of subjects taken. Thus, as a general rule, a student who takes four subjects, whether these are optional or compulsory, will have a face-to-face activity a week of between 8-10 hours. The maximum of face-to-face activity is marked by the maximum number of subjects to be enrolled, a total of 10, which will entail a reading load of between 20-22 hours per week.

The teacher The teaching staff dedicated to teaching in the Senior Program is made up of teachers who know the specificity of the group to which they address and configure their pedagogical methodology according to this criterion.

The profile of this teaching staff is that of teachers who belong to the body of the University of Lleida, that is, to their different departments and from all the areas involved in the degree. Teaching staff hired by the Regidoría de Educación e Infancia.rado also participates.

The methodology takes into account the specific characteristics of the students of this Program, this does not imply, at any time, that academic and scientific rigor is affected.

Thus, the academic program is specially oriented and adapted to adult students with lived experience. The teaching staff is fully aware of this pedagogical context, which is why both theoretical and practical sessions are developed considering these characteristics and with a high level of interaction and participation by students.

Students, at the time of enrollment, will receive an email address from the University, which may also be, therefore, a means of contact between students and faculty.

In addition, the Virtual Campus of the University of Lleida will be another pedagogical tool, through which students will be able to make inquiries to teachers in relation to the contents and teaching materials, find recommended links and / or bibliography, as well as perform any other activity that teachers can propose by this means.

Attendance is mandatory and teachers will have to evaluate it, although a minimum attendance percentage of 80% is established.

The evaluation system is the one that contemplates the activities of the students in a continuous way, so that the final exams will be avoided and the practices and the works throughout the course will be promoted.

Students who have not attended or have not delivered the work or practices required by the faculty cannot be evaluated; However, teachers will have the power to decide the criteria for action in these cases.

Some subjects can schedule certain departures to complete the internships with field work. Provided that these are not explicitly subsidized, it must be taken into account that they may incur additional expenses for students who have selected those subjects. Despite this, and in certain special circumstances (economic, physical), teachers will have additional activities that can replace field trips or field work.

Students who have passed the four courses, that is, the 144 total credits, will be entitled to the title of Senior Diploma in Culture, Science, Technology and Society of the University of Lleida.