Cooperative learning for exact and natural science students: “Compromiso Educativo Program”

Abstract

The current changing educative scenery at the global and national field, promotes education during all life, equity and social inclusion. According to this model, in Uruguay new education policies and coordinated actions have been developed in the whole System of Public Education. Particularly, it has been implemented between many institutions a national program –“Compromiso Educativo”–, whose aim is to encourage the permanence of the students in high school, with the accompanying of university students. Cooperative learning between students is a result of this practice.
At the same time, at the Universidad de la República, some recent transformations attempt to link together learning and research practices, with a high social compromise, in the students formation. In this context different faculties have applied these transformation guidelines: in the Faculty of Sciences -the one who offers most part of the exact and natural science careers- all students take a subject from the social-humanities area, in general of the STS field. Specifically one of these courses, “Science and Community Practices”, conjugates a specific social practice (according to the mentioned guidelines) with STS conceptualization.