RIMA: research & innovation in learning methodologies. A dynamic tool of the ICE-UPC

Abstract

It’s time to change! In the new environment of the EHEA (European Higher Education Area), universities are committed to extending and modifying traditional learning techniques in ways that will allow them to incorporate new educational methodologies and settings that are stimulating for lecturers and students alike. RIMA is a dynamic tool of the ICE-UPC (the Institute of Education Sciences of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, UPC-BARCELONA TECH) that has been set up to group together the initiatives of individuals and established teams in the field of educational innovation and to identify and lay the foundations for desired future education research at the UPC. The RIMA team currently includes 140 members of UPC who are implementing and sharing new practices, proposing and deciding on new methodologies and devising new means for improving teaching and learning techniques and results from students. The aim of RIMA is to help build up a core of knowledge in educational development, knowledge which is rooted in the lecturers’ interest in improving and guiding the learning process. Institutional recognition is also a major concern within RIMA. The efforts made by the groups and members of which it is made up need to be made visible. Conducting and recognising education research is to be one of its priorities. In the relatively short time -just under two years- since it was set up, RIMA has proved its usefulness in meeting the difficulties in educational innovation enhancement and in seizing new opportunities. This article provides details of the advances made and evaluates the results obtained. It reflects on the way such initiatives may be received and the impact they may have on the design of new EHEA courses and on the institutional objectives of the university.

It’s time to change! In the new environment of the EHEA (European Higher Education Area), universities are committed to extending and modifying traditional learning techniques in ways that will allow them to incorporate new educational methodologies and settings that are stimulating for lecturers and students alike. RIMA is a dynamic tool of the ICE-UPC (the Institute of Education Sciences of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, UPC-BARCELONA TECH) that has been set up to group together the initiatives of individuals and established teams in the field of educational innovation and to identify and lay the foundations for desired future education research at the UPC. The RIMA team currently includes 140 members of UPC who are implementing and sharing new practices, proposing and deciding on new methodologies and devising new means for improving teaching and learning techniques and results from students. The aim of RIMA is to help build up a core of knowledge in educational development, knowledge which is rooted in the lecturers’ interest in improving and guiding the learning process. Institutional recognition is also a major concern within RIMA. The efforts made by the groups and members of which it is made up need to be made visible. Conducting and recognising education research is to be one of its priorities. In the relatively short time -just under two years- since it was set up, RIMA has proved its usefulness in meeting the difficulties in educational innovation enhancement and in seizing new opportunities. This article provides details of the advances made and evaluates the results obtained. It reflects on the way such initiatives may be received and the impact they may have on the design of new EHEA courses and on the institutional objectives of the university.