The University of Valencia, through IUDESCOOP (University Institute on Social and Cooperative Economics), is pioneer in the implementation of a postgraduate degree in Social Economy and Cooperatives, through a methodology based in a mixed in-person and distance teaching supported by ICT, as Rafael Chavez (Manager of the Doctoral studies for Social Economy IUDESCOOP) and Joan Ramon Sanchis (Manager of the Official Master’s degree on Social Economy IUDESCOOP and Coordinator of the Educational Innovation Group in Social Economy and Cooperatives) have explained.
Professors Chavez and Sanchis have addressed this issue in an article published in the last issue of @tic, the magazine for educational innovation of the University of Valencia, in which the strong nexus with other Spanish, European and Latin American universities and the permanent relationships between IUDESCOOP and professionals and managers from these entities stand out.
In this article, Chaves and Sanchis state that “the UV, through IUDESCOOP, has given and innovative response to a growing response to higher education in Social Economy and Cooperatives, offering specific training with innovative characteristics: it can be in-person or distance learning; it maximises the use of rich documentary, teaching resources and networks available, such as the national and international scientific network centres, having access to the main centre of documentation and information in the field and having the support of the main scientific publications in the field; its interaction and adaptation to the demand (students, business and social sector, and Public Administration); and the methodological innovation by using ICTs, such as a training portal, organising and recording specialised conferences, as well as giving personalised attention from the teaching staff”.
The challenge for the future, according to Chaves and Sanchis, is the consolidation of the Master’s degree in Social Economy not only in the Valencian Community but also internationally through collaboration with other Universities which offer similar postgraduate studies.
In this sense, they explain that “the creation of a Group for Educational Innovation in Social Economy and Cooperatives to which teaching and research staff from other Valencian universities had recently joined, has been achieved; contact with other European universities with similar degrees are being established, especially in France and Italy, with the aim to bring the master’s degree into the Erasmus-Mundus programme; and collaboration agreements with Social Economy entities such as Red Emprendes, which is formed by three representative institutions of the field in the Valencian Community such as FOCOOP, FEVECTA and FEVES or the Ruralcaja’s financial contribution, which may contribute to the master’s degree success by their economic and organizational support, have been reached”.
