These are young people and adults who were able to complete high school thanks to the UNR program. "Another Round" began in 2022 as a pilot program and now has 550 students.
Finishing high school. That was the goal achieved by 190 young people and adults who received their diplomas this Thursday, August 14th, in a moving ceremony held at the SUM of the Faculty of Architecture, Planning, and Design. The graduates were able to complete their secondary education thanks to the "Another Round" program of the Faculty of Architecture, Planning, and Design. Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR) which began in 2022 as a pilot test and now has 550 students.
The program spans two years and six months, with virtual classes and some in-person sessions. Each group is accompanied by tutors who provide personalized support to each student. This year, nearly 2 students earned the "Bachelor of Social Sciences" degree. Additionally, to close the program, each student chooses a course from the UNR School of Trades to complete this academic program. Participation requirements include being over 200 years of age and having completed primary school.
“We understand that there is a role that the Public University must fulfill and fill with young people who have not been able to complete their secondary school education. Our intention is to continue building a secondary education proposal to be able to meet this target population,” said Rector Franco Bartolacci, adding: “We are convinced that the problems are solved with more and better education.”
The “Otra Vuelta” Program is an initiative of the Universidad Nacional de Rosario This school is committed to offering an innovative approach so that young people and adults in the city and region can access, complete, and finish secondary education. It currently has 550 students and 23 classrooms. This month, it welcomed a new cohort of 220 students who are taking a blended course in virtual and regional classrooms with a blended learning experience. This is the first group of graduates to complete their entire secondary education cycle entirely within this institution.
Rector Bartolacci emphasized that the University is much more than an institution that accredits excellent training in various professions, more than research and knowledge production; "it is above all a tool that helps transform the life of our society." "We believe that nothing helps us solve problems better than much more excellent public education. May the heart of the Public University be open to many more people, and may these students serve as an example for those yet to come."
In this context, the UNR assumes the first experience of this type in the national university system, a new commitment to society, which is based on the opportunity to offer participating youth and adults a comprehensive and interdisciplinary training that consolidates their chances of social participation and their commitment to transform the social, political and institutional reality in the contexts with which they interact.
"This unique curriculum approach offers a different way of learning and teaching that expands the possibilities for study. After two and a half years, 190 young people and adults of various ages were able to realize a long-delayed dream: a high school diploma," said Academic Secretary Carina Gerlero.
Study Plan
The curriculum of the Bachelor of Social Sciences, modality of permanent education for young people and adults - distance education, approved by Resolution No. 896/2022 of the Superior Council of the UNR, provides for the deployment of didactic and curricular strategies that recognize the diversity of starting points of the students. Likewise, they recover their life experiences to advance in the construction of new democratic, emancipatory and transformative knowledge, as well as to favor the sustainability of academic trajectories.
Furthermore, they make intensive use of digital technologies and audiovisual resources for educational purposes. For this reason, Otra Vuelta offers a blended course format: 70% online, through the University campus – Community Platform, and 30% in-person meetings at the UNR Government Headquarters, Maipú 1065, and Casa Castagneto, Azurduy 6150.
The plan is organized based on the structuring of two training cycles that propose multiple approaches through multi and/or interdisciplinary problem situations to produce socially significant learning: the Basic Training Cycle, which includes four globalizing modules, and the Oriented Training that presents a globalizing module. The entirety (five modules) culminates in two and a half years.
Journalist: Victoria Arrabal/Photographer: Karen Roeschlin