'Meetings with Professionals': The Success of An Innovative Teaching Methodology Based on Real Business Scenarios at the University of Seville, Spain.
Gloria Jiménez-Marín, Rodrigo Elías Zambrano & Elena Bellido-Pérez
Abstract
University students, in general, seem to be looking for the purpose of their studies through a narrow lens. This makes it almost impossible for many of them to envision their future in the professional circuit beyond the fourwalled classroom. To get around this difficulty, a new learning methodology based on real projects, and informed by the guidelines on structural reforms in pedagogy by the European High Education Area (EHEA), was proposed for courses on Communication Studies. A methodological model oriented towards reworking students' ideas was used to develop an activity called 'Meetings with Professionals' that met the rising career aspirations of the students. This activity brought students and working professionals closer, giving rise to new synergies. It roused students’ interest toward the different professions in Communication, and the results, so far, have been very positive and underline the need to establish stronger links between academia and industry.