How to study at UNIR
UNIR offers an effective pedagogical model based on 4 major pillars:
Live online lectures: available when you want them
At UNIR, you can attend different lectures, according to your schedule and interests.
Live online lectures
Live online lectures are the closest to classroom instruction. They are held every day of the week, with both morning and afternoon schedules, so that all students can attend. Schedules are sent weekly in advance to provide sufficient notice so students have time to organize their agendas.
The main advantages of these lectures are:
- Seeing the professor and interacting with him/her and with classmates in real time
- Being able to ask questions through the chat so that the professor can answer them live
Pre-recorded lectures
If for any reason you cannot attend live classes, or if you have any questions, don’t worry. At UNIR, all lectures are recorded and posted in the students’’ virtual campus so they can be seen at any time an as often as needed.
Question and answer sessions
You can also attend classes devoted exclusively to answering questions. These lectures are also live and last as long as it is needed. During these lectures, you can ask questions about the readings, and the professor will answer you verbally. Question and answer sessions also provide practical examples so that you achieve full understanding of the material and how it applies to your professional needs.
Master classes
Master classes are extra classes that complement your education. They are given by respected experts in different areas of interest related to each course. Master classes are recorded, and you can consult them from a specific part of the platform.
All faculty responsible for lecturing at UNIR are professional experts in each of their subject areas.
At UNIR, each faculty member:
- Lectures and provides useful material for class discussions
- Fosters the dynamic interaction of studnets and faculty in the classes and in various forums
- Provides cases to challenge students’ skills
- Answers questions
- Designs and corrects exams
- Determines the final grades
Personal tutor: support and advice from the very first day
On your first day, you will be assigned a personal tutor to advise and help you throughout your stay at UNIR. This communication will happen via phone calls, your campus and email. Your personal tutor will be in contact continuously and will be your primary connection to the university.
How can your personal tutor help you?
- By answering questions about academic procedures, paperwork to be completed or specific topics in a course
- By helping you plan in order to make the best use of your time
- By recommending what pedagogical resources on the platform can be used for each task
- By being committed to your education to help you pass each course
The tutor’s support and advising are one more guarantee of success.
Rubén Mateos, UNIR’s student
“It takes perseverance and dedication. UNIR is a demanding university. But in the end you can apply what you learn to your job”.
Learning resources: adapted to your needs so you achieve your goals
As a student at UNIR, you will have access to a rich variety of resources to prepare your classes. The contents and materials for each course are organized for quick, effective learning: They are sequenced from most basic (key ideas) to supplementary (extra material) and from theoretical (readings) to practical (activities and tests).
The material for each unit is presented as follows:
- Key ideas: outlines and summaries of the most important material
- Highly recommended: master classes, readings, and other interesting resources
- Further information: for students who want to explore a topic in more depth
- Activities: for putting what you have learned into practice
- Self-assessment tests: to consolidate what you have learned and review before the exam
You can decide in what depth you want to explore the material in each course according to your interest and the time you can dedicate to it.
Personal planning of work is key. To make this task easier, the platform provides a weekly schedule. The schedule indicates what part of the material (classes, activities, tests, readings) you should prepare each week, which will help you to plan the best pace for your work on each unit.
Martha Lyda Urbina, UNIR’s student
“The course contents are very well structured. They let you go into more depth depending on your interests. I have material I still haven’t looked at. I saved it to read later because I am interested in it, even though I have finished the course”.
Continuous assessment system: gradual, constant learning
At UNIR, we value and reward students’ daily effort. For this reason, grades, or qualifications, for each course are the result of two types of assessment:
Continuous assessment: formative activities (40% of the final grade)
- Projects: assigned by the professor to help to develop analytic, comprehension, synthesis and communication skills.
- Events: attendance at and participation in online events. These may be debate forums to respond to readings, self-assessment tests or practical exercises to test learning.
- Reading: from books, documents and articles selected to supplement your training. Readings help to improve your understanding and ability to express your ideas.
Final exam: in person and compulsory (60% of the final grade)
Exams in Bachelor’s degree programs are in person and required. UNIR will set the dates and exam centers for each exam. Exams take place during the last week of each trimester, and exam centers are in major cities, with the possibility of adding exam calls at other locations in Spain according to demand.
The student must pass the exam to have the exam grade added to the grade obtained in the continuous assessment.
Each postgraduate degree program will specify its assessment criteria.