Dr. Silvia Aparicio, Vice Rector for Academic Planning and Faculty of the Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO), participated as a member of the Board of Directors in the 44th edition of the Spanish Conference of Deans of Economics and Business (CONFEDE), held in Melilla.
The meeting, organized by the University of Granada in collaboration with the Autonomous City of Melilla, brought together the deans of the faculties of Economics and Business of public and private universities throughout the country. Its main objective was to generate a space for joint reflection on the main challenges currently facing university degrees in this field.
The opening ceremony was attended by Professor Salvador Del Barrio García, Vice Rector of the Ceuta and Melilla Campuses of the University of Granada; Ms. María del Mar Alfaya Góngora, Director General of University Policy of the Autonomous City of Melilla; Dr. Raúl Ruiz Callado, President of the University of Granada; Dr. Raúl Ruiz Callado, President of the University of Granada; and Ms. María del Mar Alfaya Góngora, Director General of University Policy of the Autonomous City of Melilla. Raúl Ruiz Callado, President of CONFEDE; Ms. Susana Quicios Molina, Director of Teacher Evaluation of the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA); and Dr. Juan Antonio Marmolejo Martín, Dean of the Faculty of Social and Legal Sciences of Melilla.
Among the most outstanding interventions of the program was the inaugural conference given by Ms. Susana Quicios Molina, under the title “The new system of evaluation of university teaching staff by ANECA”. Her presentation dealt in depth with the changes planned in the processes of evaluation and accreditation of university teaching staff in Spain, arousing considerable interest among the attendees due to the topicality and importance of the subject for the academic community.
During the conference, several round tables focused on strategic issues for the improvement and modernization of teaching in the area of Economics and Business were held. These included the round table “Challenges in the teaching offer of degrees in the field of Economics and Business”, moderated by Dr. Antonio Navarro García (University of Seville), with the participation of Dr. Carlos Rivero Rodríguez (Complutense University of Madrid), Mr. Antonio Juan González Ramón (Confederación de Empresarios de Melilla) and Ms. Claudia Luque Muñoz (president of AEALCEE).
The round table “A look into the future on the dissemination and transfer of knowledge at the University”, moderated by Dr. Joan Martín Montaner (Universitat Jaume I), was also held, with the participation of Dr. Eugenio Luque Domínguez (General Foundation of the University of Malaga) and Dr. J. Samuel Baixauli Soler (University of Murcia).
Dual university training as a strategy to improve the employability of graduates was also addressed, in a round table moderated by Dr. Eduard Cristobal Fransi (University of Lleida), with interventions by Dr. Jon Barrutia Güenaga (University of the Basque Country), Dr. Eva Carmona Moreno (University of Almeria) and Ms. Claudia Luque Muñoz, representing the student body.
The academic program concluded with the lecture “Artificial Intelligence and Business”, by the expert Miguel F. Jimenez Sola, Head of AI Services Team at Yoti Ltd., who offered an updated perspective on the application of artificial intelligence in the business environment.
From the Board of CONFEDE, to which Dr. Silvia Aparicio belongs, a proposal aimed at revising the curriculum of the Degree in Business Administration and Management (ADE), specifically in relation to the subject of Final Degree Project (TFG) was raised. It was stated that the widespread use of generative artificial intelligence tools has substantially altered the formative sense of this subject. According to what was stated, students tend to substitute their own reasoning for the mechanical reproduction of contents, which compromises the development of critical and autonomous thinking.
In this context, it was proposed that the TFG be replaced by a more current subject, adjusted to the demands of the contemporary professional environment. The proposal has been incorporated into the conclusions of the meeting. However, in order for the initiative to move forward, it will need to be discussed and formally approved at the next CONFEDE assembly, scheduled to be held in the city of Lérida. If ratified, the request will be submitted to the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) and to the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, in order to initiate the relevant procedures for its regulatory consideration.