Lectures

Professors give organized talks/discourse as lessons to large groups of students on a specific subject in an interactive way. This type of activity is ideal for introducing new concepts, explaining procedures to solve an exercise or to recapitulate what has been learned in other activities. The professor uses various resources to generate engagement amongst the class: interactive screens with various types of software, audiovisual material, an open space for close proximity to all students, etc.

Conferences

A formal “get-together” where people talk (or “confer”) about a chosen topic. With the objective of consultation or exchange of information & discussion. The difference with a lecture is that, while a lecture is explanatory and didactic, a conference is more expository in its nature: the lecturer’s exposes their position, the results of an investigation, a problem/challenge, etc.

Forums

A public platform for open discussion around a specific topic guided by the professor. Students prepare case materials in advance. They must give their opinions and debate among themselves, and the professor can play a more active role, debating with the students, or simply act as a moderator who intervenes to focus the debate. At the end, the professor summarizes the key learnings of the debate. It is an ideal activity to learn how to apply concepts in a specific case or situation.

Simulations

Simulations vary in types, depending on the nature of the discipline. They recreate a situation that mimics the real situation and the student must make decisions. This learning activity is intended to go beyond discussion, so that the student learns experiential decision-making, taking intellectual positions and the risks involved, in addition to other skills (negotiation, analysis, etc.).

Discussion seminar

Very specific and complex issues can be discussed in smaller groups led by the professor or, within a class, by each working group. They have the great advantage that they allow intense debate on very complex issues that would not be fully covered in large groups. It is often called a Webinar if it takes place online.

If it is a seminar in which concepts learned must be integrated into other learning activities, it is usually called a Capstone Seminar. If it is a seminar that is not an integral part of the curriculum of the program, but rather is offered to complement or extend the acquired knowledge, it is called an Advanced Seminar.

Team Projects

A group project that requires conceptual knowledge as well as the use of skills learned in the course. Project-based learning – which can range from a proposal for urban reform to an information system for a company, a business plan or the analysis of the behavior of a social sector – allows assuming and applying of social concepts, collaborating in the execution, working under deadlines, and the exercise of teamwork skills and mindsets.

Company/Institutions Projects

A group project that requires conceptual knowledge as well as the use of skills learned in the course, and is focused on solving a real case of an institution or company. The difference with the Team Project is that it can be developed in the real context of a company and even with the collaboration of the company itself. 

Workshops

A brief intensive course for a small group; emphasizes problem solving and organized around different topics. Unlike Discussion Seminars, Workshops have a more practical and diverse nature of learning objectives. It can be given in class or in specific labs such as MediaLab or FabLab.

Pre-Program Course

Sets of subjects that do not formally belong in the curriculum, but are offered in preparation for a program, in order to familiarize the student with the vocabulary and methodologies of a program or to learn the necessary tools to carry it out successfully. They may be voluntary or they may be mandatory in nature, depending on the program.

Individual Assignments

An individual project that requires conceptual knowledge as well as the use of skills learned in the course. Individual work with the delivery date of a report, an essay, a design, etc. provides thoughtful acquisition of many concepts. It also allows students to make decisions or take intellectual positions.

1 on 1 Feedback Sessions

It is the meeting between the student and the professor, in which the latter provides detailed information about their performance in a project or task, a complete subject or an exercise. It often has two components: one regarding the content of the student’s work and what they have learned; and the other dealing with the attitudes and dispositions shown in class, during a project, etc.

Peer to peer Feedback

Asking students to review and critique each other’s’ work can be valuable driver of learning – both for those receiving the feedback and those giving it. The student who provides feedback is in the situation of assuming the position of evaluator, and must understand the nature of the learning objectives and how they are achieved. He or she must try to be objective and reasonable, as the evaluated student will give feedback in return. It can be student to student feedback or work group to work group feedback.

MOOCs (Video)

Recorded lectures or conferences following specific techniques. They are suitable when the learning of concepts, giving detailed explanation or demonstrating methods to carry out a specific exercise must be achieved without interruption in class, and therefore does not require participation. They are ideal for expanding knowledge and reviewing.

Capstone/Thesis/Dissertation

A project that requires sweeping integration of concepts and skills from across the entire course. This might be a project started and completed towards the end of your course, or an accumulative project that students start at the start of your course and continue working on as the course progresses. They can be practical/applied or theoretical in nature —in the format of a research document to defend a specific thesis. Although these activities are also forms of learning assessment (such as exams or tests), the dedication and work they require form the student are intense and therefore aimed at acquiring knowledge beyond what is covered in subjects or other learning activities.