Alternance training at universities: A learning integrated project through problembased learning

Abstract

This paper describes an alternance training experience within the university context relying on the case of Florida Universitaria, affiliated to the University of Valencia. Alternance training involves periods of education provision on university premises with on-the-job internships. The aim of this study is to provide an empirical description of an initiative showing the impact of alternance on the development of students’ skills. The methodology underlying the alternance training program is that of problem-based learning (PBL). PBL has been implemented within an integrated project put in practice in the third year of the Bachelor Degrees in Early Childhood and Primary Education. The results show that reflective practice between the school and the workplace promotes students’ learning. The benefits of alternance training at university level are sound: it increases student motivation, gives meaning to theoretical knowledge, and multiplies learning interactions in academic and professional environments.