The pedagogical method will be based on the collective construction of knowledge, based, on the one hand, on the debate generated by the lecturer's explanations, the presentations prepared by the students on reference readings on the subject and the common analysis of practical cases and, on the other hand, on project-based and challenge-based learning. The course thus incorporates innovative methodologies such as challenge-based learning (CBL) and project-based learning (PBL), which place students at the center of the learning process. These methodologies promote the practical application of content, stimulate critical and creative thinking, and encourage collaborative work. By engaging with real or simulated problems, students develop key competencies for analyzing and intervening in communication processes for social change. Their use is especially relevant in a course oriented toward action and transformation.

This approach will take the form of six complementary working dynamics:

1. Explanations by the lecturer on the more theoretical aspects of the course.

2. Weekly class discussion of materials that students will have prepared in advance for each session.

3. Collaborative workshop on reference readings in the field of communication, development and social change.

4.Analysis and presentation by the students of practical cases.

5. Design in small groups of a strategic communication project for social change, under the tutoring of the lecturer and in response to a challenge posed by a social organisation from the UAB area.

6. Presentation and discussion in class of the communicative strategies designed by the students.

The course content and schedule will be presented on the first day of the course, and the work plan for each session will be available on the module's Virtual Campus in advance of each session. Students will be able to find on the virtual campus the various teaching materials deemed appropriate by the instructors and all the necessary information for proper follow-up of the course. Should the teaching modality change for reasons of force majeure, according to the competent authorities, the teaching staff will inform students of any modifications to the course schedule and teaching methodologies.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Evaluation:

As this is a module with a continuous assessment system, students must attend at least 80 per cent of the course sessions in order to be assessed. In fact, students will be assessed on the basis of their active participation in classes and the module’s three main group activities:

1.Active participation in the course, assessed on the basis of questions the lecturer will ask in class regarding the preparatory material for each session and the well-reasoned contributions made to the discussions that will take place during each session. (10%)

2. The development of a specific communication project for a social organization, following the challenge-based learning model and taking into account the main lines of communication for social change. This project must be agreed in advance with the lecturer. (50%)

3. Reading workshop that the students will have to prepare and present in class, as a previous step to the debate on the issues and ideas addressed in the texts. (20%)

4. Analysis, presentation and discussion in class of case studies of communication strategies for development and/or social change. (205%)

Not assessable:

Students who have not attended at least 80 per cent of the classes without a justified and duly documented reason, as well as those who do not submit their final project by the deadline and in the manner specified by the lecturer – which includes presenting it in person on the last day of the module – will be awarded a ‘not assessable’ grade.

Single-assessment system:

This course/module does not provide for a single-assessment system.

Reassessment:

Students will be entitled to retake the module if they have been assessed on a set of activities whose weighting accounts for at least two-thirds of the module’s total mark; however, they can only retake the communication project, by applying the knowledge acquired during the course and following the guidelines provided by the lecturer during the grade review process. The highest mark that can be achieved in the retake assessment is a 7, which will be included in the weighted average alongside the marks obtained in the other three assessed activities of the course.

If, due to an unforeseen and duly justified emergency, students are unable to present Activities 2, 3 or 4 in class, they may agree with the lecturer to have the mark for this activity replaced by the mark they obtain in an individual examination at the end of the module, covering this content and the preparatory materials for the sessions in which the presentations were due to take place.

Plagiarism:

Should a student commit any irregularity that could lead to a significant change in the mark for an assessment, that assessment will be marked as 0, independent of any disciplinary proceedings that may be initiated. Should several irregularities occur in the assessments for the same module, the final mark for that module will be 0.

Use of artificial intelligence (AI):

In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted as an integral part of assignment development, provided that the final outcome demonstrates a significant contribution from the student in terms of analysis and personal reflection. Students must clearly identify any content generated using AI, specify the tools employed, and include a critical reflection on how these technologies have influenced both the process and the final result of the assignment. Failure to disclose the use of AI in this assessed activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in a partial or total penalty to the assignment grade, or more serious sanctions in severe cases.

Irregularities:

The performance of any irregularity in an evaluation act (academic fraud, plagiarism or improper use of AI, unless this use is expressly authorized by the teaching guide), which may lead to a significant variation in the grade, assumes that this act will be graded with a 0. In the event that the teaching guide foresees that in order to pass the subject it is an essential requirement to have obtained a minimum grade in this evaluation act or that there are several irregularities in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade of this subject is 0. Apart from this, a disciplinary process may be instructed to the student that incurs any of these irregularities.