Learning by getting to know service users

Abstract

We present here three learning innovation experiences within the course “Initiation to Professional Skills”, a first year course of the Social Work undergraduate degree of the University of Alicante. Objectives: 1) Getting service users involved in teaching roles, considering them experts bytheir personal experience with Social Workers and society in general 2) Provide with a learning environment that promotes getting to know, understand and learn how to communicate with service users. Methodology: Meaningful learning based on the interaction with service users in three modalities: a) Collaborative design of teaching and learning activities between a social entity and the teaching staff ofthe course “Initiation to Professional Skills” of the Social Work undergraduate degree of the Universityof Alicante b) A multidisciplinary approach design including Social Work teaching staff, Physical Activity and Sport Science teaching staff, and the social entity c) International design with participation ofQueen’s University, Belfast (Northern Ireland) (project leader), together with the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) and the University of Alicante. The results of these experiences provide with evidence supporting the relevance of the teaching role of experts by their experience, and also of the implementa-tion of methodologies based on meaningful learning for acquiring competences.