Universidad de A Coruña

The University of A Coruña (UDC) is located in the city of the same name, in the northwest region of Spain called Galicia. It was founded under the Galician Universities Law on July 20th, 1989. The University has three campuses in A Coruña and one in the city of Ferrol.

The University of A Coruña is a public institution whose primary objective is the generation, management and dissemination of culture and scientific, technological and professional knowledge through the development of research and teaching. The University explicitly expresses its commitment to the study and the integral development of Galicia, including its social, cultural and linguistic identity. It is also dedicated to promoting its full integration into the European Higher Education setting, as well as its representation in Latin America.

As part of its duty of service to society, the University is committed to: the creation, development, communication and critical analysis of science, technology and culture; preparing students for professional life through the teaching of scientific and artistic knowledge and practice; the transfer, dissemination and promotion of knowledge for the advancement of culture, quality of life and economic development; and the dissemination of knowledge and culture through University outreach and lifelong learning.

The Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Coruña is made up of about 2,000 students, 120 professors and 25 administrative and service personnel, occupying a building located on the Elviña campus.

The faculty offers ten degrees or majors. All of them are adapted to the European Space of Higher Education. Four of them are first (or bachelor’s) degrees and six are master’s degrees. The four first-degrees are in: Early Childhood Education; Primary Education; Social Education; and Speech Therapy. The six master’s degrees include: an Inter-University Master’s Degree in Advanced Studies in Communication, Language and its Pathologies; a Master’s Degree in the Direction, Management and Innovation of Schools and Socio-Educational Institutions; a Master’s Degree in Applied Psychology; a Master’s in the Instruction of Specific Subjects (Pre-Primary and Primary Levels); a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology; and a Master’s Degree in Secondary School (Compulsory, College Preparatory, Vocational Training and Language Teaching).

The University of A Coruña, more specifically, the Faculty of Education Sciences has been working on innovative teaching methods like taking advantage of the possibilities that are opened up in a digital technology, helping students to find innovative solutions. Teachers inspire students’ interests in learning and then lead them to solve problems by themselves creatively. The teaching and learning of Foreign Languages and Digital Competence have become more and more important for the educational systems all around the world, so several universities and research groups have been established regarding so. For example, both the degree in Early Childhood Education and the one in Primary Education at UDC include compulsory modules on Didactics of English as a Foreign Language and New Technologies and Digital Competences which dedicate a great part of their contents to the core topic of the present project proposal. In terms of Master ́s Degrees, the one in the Instruction of Specific Subjects has another compulsory module on new technologies and innovation which aims to prepare pre-service teachers not only methodologically but also linguistically and digitally.