Developing communication skills

1. Effective communication

Objective

To help teaching and research staff and schools to incorporate the effective oral and written communication competency in undergraduate degrees and improve the communication skills of members of the UPC.

Measures

Provide resources for teaching and research staff to help students improve the effective communication competency.
Provide rubrics and other resources for lecturers to assess the effective communication competency.
Provide training and information on the implementation and assessment of the effective communication competency.
Provide training and resources that meet the specific communication needs of teaching and research staff: how to write reports, reviews and articles; public speaking; debating, etc.
Design complementary training activities on effective communication for students.
Design training activities and resources on intercultural communication skills.
Provide members of the UPC with resources for improving communication skills.

Indicators

Achievement indicators

• % of courses that deal with improving communication skills using resources offered by the SLT.
• % of teaching and research staff who work on improving communication skills and take part in training activities.

Results indicators

• Number of subjects
• Number of teaching and research staff
• Number of resource downloads and visits
• Number of training and information activities

Alliances

ICE

2. Language learning

Objective

To facilitate language learning, with an emphasis on English, and identify and accredit the language skills of members of the UPC.

Measures

Establish the language requirements for different types of staff within the UPC, in line with institutional agreements.
Provide users with tools and reports for identifying language skills, language use and attitudes towards languages at the UPC.
Provide mechanisms for accrediting the language skills of members of the UPC.
Monitor the level of foreign language skills among lecturers, researchers and administrative staff as a linguistic indicator linked to the variable funding of universities.
Increase the number of English courses outside the curriculum, particularly those based on blended learning, e-learning and self-directed learning methods.
Increase the number of Spanish courses, particularly those based on e-learning methods.
Organize activities in which participants practise foreign languages and meet people from other countries and cultures.
Enhance information on courses, resources and financial support for language learning offered by the UPC.
Monitor suppliers and agreements with organizations with a view to harnessing and improving the services offered by the SLT.

Indicators

Achievement indicators

• % of teaching and research staff who have reached the required level of English.
• % of administrative staff who have reached the required level of English.
• % of students who have reached the required level in English or another foreign language, as stipulated in the academic regulations.

Results indicators

• Number of resources and measures
• Number of users and participants
• Number of website visits

Alliances

ICE, SDP, SBD

3. Catalan training and accreditation

Objective

To offer teaching, research and administrative staff the means to attain the level of Catalan required for the workplace.

Measures

Provide members of the UPC with a complete range of Catalan language courses adapted to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and to the teaching model for language learning: communicative approach, independent learning, e-learning, etc.
Increase the number of courses for teaching and research staff who wish to attain the level of Catalan established in institutional agreements.
Facilitate training and assessment systems for the official accreditation of the skills of administrative and service staff.
Monitor the level of Catalan of lecturers and research and administrative staff as a linguistic indicator linked to the variable financing of universities.
Increase the range of interuniversity examinations for the official accreditation of Catalan, in collaboration with the Interuniversity Commission for Catalan Language Training (CIFOLC).
Offer higher-level courses for developing language skills and acquiring effective communication and intercultural communication skills.

Indicators

Achievement indicators

• % of administrative and service staff with an official Catalan-language accreditation.
• % of teaching and research staff with an official Catalan accreditation.
• % of programmes that are adapted to CEFR levels and the teaching model for language learning.

Results indicators

• N PAS i PDI amb certificat oficial
• N PAS i PDI que ha seguit formació
• N accions de formació i acreditació

Alliances

ICE, SDP, Interuniversity Commission for Catalan Language Training (CIFOLC)

4. Cultural and language reception for international students

Objective

To extend cultural and language reception to international students at all schools and campuses and to visiting teaching and administrative staff.

Measures

Consolidate the status of cultural and language reception—an institutional programme envisaged in the International Policy Plan—by implementing it across the institution and basing it on collaboration between units.
Design and implement forms of cultural and language reception that are adapted to the needs of the different campuses and schools.
Design new Catalan courses that are tailored to the specific needs of international students and visiting staff: Catalan-Spanish intercomprehension, Catalan for English speakers, Catalan survival kit, etc.
Provide resources for learning Spanish as a foreign language.
Design a programme of cultural and language reception activities based on internationalization at home that encourages intercultural communication and exchange between local and international students.
Devise and disseminate cultural and language reception resources for students, teaching and research staff and schools.
Provide international students with information on language use at the UPC (before and during their stay) and on the language of instruction (before enrolment).

Indicators

Achievement indicators

• % of international students who take part.
• % of schools and campuses that take part.

Results indicators

• Number of students
• Number of schools and campuses
• Number of activities
• Number of resources

Alliances

SRII, Univers, SCI, ETSECCPB, ETSETB, FIB, schools and campuses