Items of the Learning Plan

The items that the subject Learning Plan must contain, according to the Regulations, are:

• Competencies (or learning outcomes, LO)
• Training activities/Learning tasks
• Types of learning action
• Assessment (and resit) activities
• Assessment criteria
• Student dedication hours 
• Recommended bibliography (RB)

A glossary is available on the next tab with further information about these items.

Learning Plan Design

The format for the submission of the Learning Plan is free, provided it contains the items mentioned above. If the teacher has already prepared a Learning Plan, they can publish it in Aula Global. If no document is available, two format models are presented, as an example of how to prepare the Learning Plan:

a) Competency-based or learning outcome-based Learning Plan
b) Learning Plan by weeks
 

Publishing in Aula Global

The teacher(s) responsible for the subject is/are responsible for publishing the LP in Aula Global before the start of the academic year.

Assessment activities

Qualifiable assessment tasks, that is, activities done by the student to prove the achievement of the competencies or of the learning outcomes with weight in the final grade of the subject. For example, group work, individual work/report, learning journal, individual exam, group exam (Aa2F), oral and written exams, questionnaire and e-portfolio, among others.

The assessment activities must facilitate the evaluation of the competencies (or learning outcomes) of the subject, while having a sustainable volume, both for teachers and students. Therefore, this calculation must consider the time it takes to give feedback.

It is also advisable to explain the activities that can be retaken and delivery deadlines.

Not all training activities set out in the Learning Plan (LP) are assessment tasks, although all training activities must contribute to the student's learning.

Training activities /Learning tasks

These terms are synonymous and refer to activities proposed by the teacher that help the student to achieve certain competencies (or LO). Some examples would be: case study, analysing an article, making a video, reviewing material, doing exercises, presenting an assignment, tutorials, placements and debates. 

When describing the training activities, the type of social design (individual with or without teachers, group activity with or without teachers), and the materials, resources, tools and spaces (teacher’s own videos, external videos, reading, podcasts, websites, tools of Aula Global, face-to-face, synchronous online or asynchronous online, etc.) should be mentioned.

Remember to approach training activities within the framework of teaching-learning methodologies, such as: project-based learning, research-based learning, problem-based learning, case study, service-learning, gamification, inverted classroom, lecture and cooperative learning.  Further information

Recommended bibliography (RB)

This is the list of documents that is recommended in each of the subjects during the academic year. It may include books, audiovisual documents, journal issues, websites, etc. 

You can request an update of the RB of your subjects and you can also request documents for purchase through the CAU. Remember to do this long enough in advance for them to be available at the start of the subject.

Competencies (or learning outcomes)

A choice must be made as to whether it is the competencies of the subject or the learning outcomes that will be the axis for aligning the training activities (also called learning tasks) and the assessment activities.

Competencies: you will find them in the Teaching guide of the subject. Competencies indicate the real mastery of a task or knowledge attained during a process; they mean a demonstrated ability to use knowledge and skills learned in work or study situations and in professional and personal development (1). When formulating a competency, it is usually expressed as the acquired ability to perform a specific activity (e.g., ability to write an appeal) or through a substantivated verb (e.g., maintenance of telecommunications electronic services and equipment). (2)

Learning outcomes (LO): you will find them in the Teaching guide of the subject. LOs are statements of what the student is expected to know and be able to demonstrate after completing a learning process (module, subject, etc.). They must be written so as to make clear the task or tasks that allow checking their achievement (for example, at the end of the module, the student will be able to write a concise, clear and orderly report of a laboratory practical session that must be structured in the established format).(2)

Assesment criteria

The assessment criteria (what we assess) define the aspects that are intended to be assessed and identify the quality of the achievement of the LOs or of the competency that must be developed. Some assessment criteria could be: the aesthetic format of a presentation, the proper use of spelling and language, oral fluency, written comprehension, the use of key concepts/technicalities, active participation, collaborative work, the application of critical thinking, problem solving and exercises, etc.

These criteria must be measurable and observable. To do this, we need tools (how we assess) to systematize the assessments on the different assessment criteria. For example, rubrics, scales, observation sheets, self-assessment, external assessment, co-assessment, peer assessment (P2P), and reports by experts can all be used for the assessment.

Student dedication hours

ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits are a system for the accounting of teaching actions based not so much on what the teacher does (class hours), but on the time and effort required from the student. The number of credits that the subject has must be translated into hours, knowing that 1 ECTS = 25 hours.

Miguel Á. Zabalza and Mª Ainoha Zabalza (3) propose using a factor to calculate the amount of non-face-to-face time required to do the learning and/or the activities required in face-to-face time. The factor to be applied depends on the type of activity. In the case of:

• Theoretical classes, seminars and practical sessions (classroom or laboratory), a factor of 1.5 is applied, because for each hour of class in these formats an average student would need between 1 and 1½ hours to bring the topics covered up to date (e.g., if 25 classroom hours are taken * 1.5 = 37.5 hours of autonomous work, totalling 62.5 hours of student dedication).
• For discussions, a factor of 3 is applied (if 4 hours of discussions are held * 3 = 12 hours of autonomous work, totalling 16 hours of student dedication).
• For assignments (individual or group), a factor of 10 is applied (e.g., for 2 hours of assignments * 10 = 20 hours of autonomous work, totalling 22 hours of student dedication).
• For tutorial, a factor of 0.5 is applied (e.g., if 2 hours of tutorial are held * 0.5 = 1 hour of autonomous work, totalling 3 hours of student dedication).
• For exams, a factor of 2 is applied (e.g., if 3 hours of exams are done * 2 = 6 hours of autonomous work, totalling 9 hours of student dedication).

In other words, in the LP column “Student dedication hours”, the aim is to calculate (and write) the hours spent by the student (face-to-face time and autonomous working time) in each of the specified training activities, checking that it gives the total credits that the subject consists of.

Recommended UPF resources

• Aula Global tools (catalogue of digital tools to support teaching)

• Come with UPF… (videos by colleagues in which they explain their experience with: digital tools, methodologies and assessment strategies).

• "Teaching and learning tools" website (a collection of different resources to support and inspire university teaching).

• Training course for the design of the Learning Plan (training programme offered by the CLIK with the aim of transforming and adapting the subjects in harmony with the UPF educational model and giving support in the process of creating the subject Learning Plan).

For any questions, you can contact the CLIK through the “Teaching innovation” section of the Library and Computing CAU.

Type of learning activity

Explicit description of the nature of the learning action that fosters the training activity. There are 4 types: preparation for future learning (e.g., tasks such as reading and videos before the class session, identifying problems, reviewing examples or generating your own explanations about concepts before working on them in the classroom); instruction (e.g., proposing selective and structured note-taking about what is explained, dialogues with questions and answers, or other types of interaction and collective construction of knowledge); consolidation (tasks such as problems, projects and cases, which allow the student to retrieve and practise what has been explained previously), and discovery (e.g. PBL and PjBL, basically guided learning without direct instruction, but with teacher follow-up and feedback).

These actions and combinations thereof allow making different methodological proposals.(4) Characterizing the typology of learning tasks helps teachers to check they are present in the training programme of the subject and that it is balanced. It is therefore advisable for all four to be present

(1) Barberà Gregori, Elena, and Martín Rojo, Elena de (2009). Portfolio electrónico: aprender a evaluar el aprendizaje (E-portfolio: Learning to assess learning). Editorial UOC.

(2) Agència per a la Qualitat del Sistema Universitari de Catalunya (2023). Avaluació dels resultats d’aprenentatge. Focus 2. Eines per a la qualitat universitària (Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU Catalunya) (2023). Assessing learning outcomes. Focus 2. Tools for university quality). https://www.aqu.cat/es/Estudios/Distribuidora-de-publicaciones/Evaluacion-de-los-resultados-de-aprendizaje

(3) Zabalza Beraza, Miguel Ángel and Zabalza Cerdeiriña, Mª Ainoha (2018). Planificación de la docencia en la universidad. Elaboración de las Guías Docentes de las Materias (3a ed.) (Planning teaching in the university. Preparation of the Subject Teaching guides (3rd ed.)). Narcea.

(4) Pompeu Fabra University (22 March 2022). Pla d’aprenentatge. Davinia Hernández Leo [Arxiu de vídeo] (Learning plan. Davinia Hernández Leo [Video Archive]). YouTube. https://youtu.be/v_c8E1qNMO8

To link the Learning Plan to the classroom of your subject, you must first activate the editing of the resource so that the work icons appear. Once they appear, click on the gear wheel icon within the Learning Plan line.

A text box will automatically appear where you can link the Learning Plan. Select the text, click on the chain icon that appears in the toolbar of the editing box and search the repositories for the document for linking.

Once linked, click the Save Changes button to save the information.