Appraisal of the ANECA Proposal

 ANECA VALUATION RESULTS

THIRD AND LAST CALL FOR GRANTS

FOR THE DESIGN OF ANECA CURRICULA AND DEGREE TITLES 

PROJECT
UNIVERSITY STUDIES FOR OLDER ADULTS 
SENIOR DEGREE.

CONTENTS OF THE MEETING HELD WITH THE ANECA PROGRAMME DIRECTOR, MR. GASPAR ROSSELLÓ NICOLAU

Alicante, September 2004

From ANECA, the Programme Director, Mr. Gaspar Rosselló Nicolau, reported to the Project Coordinator, the University of Alicante, the following: 

• The project was positively valued, because it was innovative and perfectly prepared
• They were concered about the evolution and growth of the University Programmes for Older Adults and understand that these studies can be embedded in the university field.

However, they don't fully understand that it could be offered as an official degree, because some key aspects haven't been stipulated. For example, general conditions of access to those programmes (age, tests), evaluation, or learning level results as well as other relevant academic aspects.  

The ANECA Programme Director was told that this project presented to the Third Call for Grants for the Design of Curricula and Degree Titles was just aimed at analyzing, designing and proposing a possible fitting of these studies in the lifelong learning model. Its purpose was also to pinpoint and agree on a proposal that would define every relevant academic aspect that would allow its recognition from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, as well as on an insertion criterion in the European Higher Education Area.

Mr. Rosselló dwelled on the suggestion about the orientation of these studies towards a postgraduate education, not as initial education. From the perspective of the University Programmes for Older Adults, we think that this option could exclude a students' section interested in these programmes.  

All in all, the concrete proposal of the call responsibles is to carry out a study and discussion between proposing it as a degree or as our own proposal (Unique Degree) agreed by all Spanish Universities and recognized by the Ministry and aimed at special students. From ANECA, they would be willing to support A STUDY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNICAL SEMINARS where all involved universities (the 24 who joined the project) and those willing to join in would discuss and achieve objectives, make proposals and common strategies to reach this goal.

Mr. Rosselló said that he will contact the Vice-chancellor of Studies and Educational Innovation of Alicante, with the object of promoting the development of this programme and Technical Seminars in partnership with ANECA and recommended that the rest of Universities concerned should express their views on this issue through the Vice-Chancellorships of Studies or those responsible of the Programmes for Older Adults.

Eventually, we expressed to Mr. Rosselló that the University of Alicante looked forward to receiving news from ANECA, hoping that the support from the National Agency to the development of the study, the Seminars and the discussion is poinpointed. In the meantime, the Universities concerned would be notified to gather their views and their support to this proposal.