Introducing group work and professional writing in a British Law School: a practical assignment and students’ perceptions inside the liberal v vocational Law degree dichotomy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24310/REJIE.2020.v0i22.7906Palabras clave:
habilidades de empleabilidad, trabajo en grupo, escritura profesional, grados vocacionales, grados liberales, mercantilización de los estudios universitariosResumen
La necesidad de formar graduados preparados para el empleo parece hoy una cuestión plenamente asumida en la educación superior. Sin embargo, el mundo académico se muestra reticente a la transformación de las universidades en fabricas productoras de graduados listos para el trabajo, en la medida en que exagerar el empeño por la empleabilidad podría conllevar que aquellas traicionasen su función de formar mejores ciudadanos. En este clima de oposición entre grados liberales y grados vocacionales hemos querido situar la actividad práctica de la que damos cuenta en el presente artículo, actividad que tiene por objeto introducir habilidades de empleabilidad en los estudios universitarios, siempre y cuando ello forme parte de una educación liberal y aun siendo conscientes de que tal objetivo pudiera ser visto como un signo de alineamiento con el gobierno y el mercado. La actividad, llevada a cabo en el primer curso del grado en Derecho, ha perseguido la promoción en concreto de dos habilidades de empleabilidad: el trabajo en equipo y la escritura profesional, y su desarrollo ha contado con la colaboración del servicio de empleabilidad de la Universidad y de una firma de abogados con sede en Londres. En nuestra investigación hemos querido conocer las impresiones de nuestros estudiantes, para lo que nos hemos servido de un análisis cualitativo a través de entrevistas realizadas a seis grupos de estudiantes, tras las que hemos efectuado el correspondiente análisis y discusión de los resultados. Los estudiantes reflexionaron sobre el diseño de la actividad, las habilidades de empleabilidad que experimentaron y su aplicación en la practica. Los resultados positivos de esta experiencia nos animan a recomendarla a otros profesores universitarios que quieran abordar el diseño de este tipo de actividades o, simplemente, adoptar otras en las que se introduzcan habilidades de empleabilidad. Por nuestra parte, nos proponemos llevar a cabo proyectos similares en los cursos segundo y tercero del grado en Derecho, para ayudar a nuestros estudiantes a convertirse en alumnos eficientes, profesionales habilidosos y mejores personas.
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