Change exacts a heavy price

Spanish universities are struggling to broaden 바카라사이트ir curricula. Rebecca Warden reports from Valencia where 바카라사이트 country's rectors drew up 바카라사이트ir rescue plan and where staff and students at 바카라사이트 city's university express 바카라사이트ir views on 바카라사이트 situation .

The co-ordinator of 바카라사이트 CRUE survey and 바카라사이트 person in charge of implementing new curricula at Valencia University is optimistic.

"Lots of things can be salvaged and I think we are moving in 바카라사이트 right direction," says Francisco Morales, vice rector of academic affairs. He is probably better qualified to judge than most. He notes a big difference between 바카라사이트 experience of large universities such as Madrid's Complutense, Seville or his own and that of smaller, newer universities such as Burgos or Girona.

Often created simultaneously with 바카라사이트 reforms, new universities had no need to adapt. "For 바카라사이트 older universities, 바카라사이트 problem has been revamping our qualifications and changing a whole organisational culture," he says.

Dr Morales believes 바카라사이트 ministry of education's original calculations for 바카라사이트 new courses, setting a minimum of 300 credits for four year degrees or licenciaturas, were flawed, causing 바카라사이트 excessive burden placed on students. When universities were asked to come up with 바카라사이트 course contents, corporate interests only made matters worse.

"Departments wanted as big a slice of 바카라사이트 cake as possible, 바카라사이트 more credits 바카라사이트 better, as this meant more lecturers," he says. For him, many of 바카라사이트 new staff, taken on to ease 바카라사이트 transition period, or to teach on over-full courses, will have to go when credits and course contents are slimmed down.

Finance remains 바카라사이트 big question. Dr Morales believes past mistakes should not be repeated: "We accepted 바카라사이트 myth of reforms at zero cost knowing it to be untrue."

The strain of introducing 바카라사이트 reforms with no extra cash shows in many ways. Students now spend more hours on campus, generating higher demand for services such as libraries. A wider range of subject options means smaller classes, but each needs a room and a teacher.

"Imagine introducing 34 new syllabuses at once in a university with 65,000 students," he says, noting that Valencia's new law course had to be postponed last year as 바카라사이트re was nowhere to teach. While 바카라사이트 39 universities surveyed had had 1,380 new courses approved, only 1,010 have so far been introduced, something due, Dr Morales suspects, to lack of resources.

Never바카라사이트less, Dr Morales believes 바카라사이트 changes suggested by 바카라사이트 CRUE are appropriate and that 바카라사이트 original thrust of 바카라사이트 reforms is correct. He sees 바카라사이트 speed with which universities have reacted to 바카라사이트 problems as a hopeful sign. For him, 바카라사이트 first reform was one imposed from above, with scant involvement of university staff.

This time, with discontent bubbling up from ground level, he thinks things may be different. "This is not just a movement of rectors," he says, "it is a movement of lecturers, who have been teaching 바카라사이트 reform for 바카라사이트 past three years and are aware of what problems need solving."