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Methodology for Writing Projects I

Code: 101827 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2502501 Prevention and Integral Safety and Security OB 1

Contact

Name:
Alessandro Demurtas
Email:
alessandro.demurtas@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

This subject doesn't have any pre-requierments


Objectives and Contextualisation

"Methodology for the writing of projects (I)" is the first subject of the subject called "Project" that develops throughout the first three courses of Degree of prevention and integral security. Therefore, it has a function of introduction and initial explanation and is a subject on which subsequent knowledge should be based. The subject "Methodology for writing projects (I)" has a conceptual part, explains what a project is, and how it is structured, and gives the tools to improve the writing of texts and introduce -to the world of research, but also has an important practical aspect, which translates into the writing of texts and the development of a script-memory of a project of medium difficulty. To study profitably "Methodology for the writing of projects (I)" it is not necessary to have previously passed any subject, but it is certainly recommended to review the previous knowledge of writing and commenting on texts, but also knowledge at the office level. El hilo conductor de esta asignatura, mediante su vinculación a un proyecto elaborado desde el prisma de Bomberos de la Generalitat
 
The common thread of this subject, through its link to a project prepared from the Generalitat Fire Department prism
 
Training objectives
 
  • Become familiar with how to work through projects.
  • Assume the most frequent structure guidelines of the script-memory of a project.
  • Provide the necessary tools to improve the writing of texts, so that it can be applied to the writing of projects.
  • Start in the scientific method and know the implications of the research.
  • Make it possible to begin to write a script-memory of a project with a level of difficulty that is not high
  • Know the structure and project Methodologies of the Catalan Fire Derparment

Competences

  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Carry out analyses of preventative measures in the area of security.
  • Carry out scientific thinking and critical reasoning in matters of preventions and security.
  • Evaluate the technical, social and legal impact of new scientific discoveries and new technological developments.
  • Generate innovative and competitive proposals in research and in professional activity developing curiosity and creativity.
  • Identify the resources necessary to respond to management needs for prevention and integral security.
  • Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
  • Plan and coordinate the resources of the three large subsystems that interact in questions of security: people, technology and infrastructures.
  • Respond to problems applying knowledge to practice.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Use the capacity for analysis and synthesis to solve problems.
  • Work and learn autonomously.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse the sex- or gender-based inequalities and the gender biases present in one's own area of knowledge.
  2. Analyse the situation and identify the points that are best.
  3. Carry out scientific thinking and critical reasoning in matters of preventions and security.
  4. Coordinate the resources of the three main subsystems of the prevention and integral security sector: people, technology and infrastructures.
  5. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern professional practice.
  6. Design a project applied to integral security and prevention in an organisation.
  7. Design and implement recovery plans following disasters and mechanisms for contingencies.
  8. Evaluate the technical, social and legal impact of new scientific discoveries and new technological developments.
  9. Generate innovative and competitive proposals in research and in professional activity developing curiosity and creativity.
  10. Identify the infrastructure, technology and resources necessary to respond to operations in prevention and integral security.
  11. Identify the social, economic and environmental implications of the academic and professional activities in the field of self-knowledge.
  12. Propose new methods or well-founded alternative solutions.
  13. Propose projects and actions that incorporate the gender perspective.
  14. Propose viable projects and actions that promote social, economic and environmental benefits.
  15. Respond to problems applying knowledge to practice.
  16. Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  17. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  18. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  19. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  20. Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  21. Use the capacity for analysis and synthesis to solve problems.
  22. Work and learn autonomously.

Content

Theoretical Part
 
Topic 1.- The scientific method and sources of information in the academic field
  • The scientific method applied to the social sciences: falsifiability and reproducibility
  • The sources of information in the academic field.
  • Citation rules. The plagiarism
Topic 2.- Planning: conceptual precisions
  • Differences between plan, program, project, activity and task
  • The types of projects
Topic 3.- Life cycle of a project
  • Phases of a project: vision of different timing proposals
  • The different documents of a project throughout its life cycle
Topic 4.- Structuring the script-memory of a project
  • The methodology applicable to the preparation of the script-memory of a project: the Logical Framework Approach (LFA)
  • Structure and most usual sections of the script-memory of a project of medium difficulty
  • Practical part
Topic 5.- Computing applied to projects
  • Citation computer tools
  • Microsoft Excel: generation of budgets and simple graphics
  • Microsoft Word: advanced notions of documents
Unit 6.- Drafting applied to the projects
  • The organization of the data of a text: structuring of writing and argumentation techniques.
  • plain language
  • Writing advice for the script-memory of a project

BLOCK 1. Presentation

BLOCK 2. The management of uncertainty and complexity

BLOCK 3. Psychosocial context emergencies

BLOCK 4. Introduction to command systems

BLOCK 5. Introduction to the Incident Command System

BLOCK 6. Introduction to Mission Command

BLOCK 7. Decision making in emergencies

BLOCK 8. Error and experience management in high complexity and risk organizations

BLOCK 9 Error and experience management in emergency work teams


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Class 40 1.6
Evaluation 4 0.16
Type: Supervised      
Project 12 0.48
Type: Autonomous      
Individual study 94 3.76

Teaching language: Spanish for theoretical classes and Catalan for practical classes 

As indicated in the contextualization of the subject, "Methodology for the writing of projects (I)" has a theoretical side and a practical side that combine different learning tools, such as the traditional theoretical and practical classes, the resolution of practical cases related to different areas of integral security (civil protection, social area, business area), and the new tools offered by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

Each session is divided into two parts: in the first part, the teaching staff offers an explanation of the theoretical content and tries to get the people present to participate actively by formulating questions and considerations that allow a fluid and constructive debate to be generated. In the second part, students carry out practical activities and solving specific cases to reinforce learning immediately and facilitate the review of the content at home.

This methodology allows students who attend all classes to make the greatest learning effort directly in the classroom, thanks to active participation and collaboration with the other people present. These techniques try to familiarize students with different types of current texts (planning documents, documents from the media, international, European, state, autonomous and local authorities, among others).

The incorporation of ICT is guaranteed thanks to the use of multimedia content during theoretical classes and the resolution of practical cases, to the use of the Virtual Campus for supervision tutorials, debates and discussion forums.

In addition, the course foresees that the students will do group work to be presented in the classroom during the simulation of a competition to win funding from the Official Credit Institute of Spain: this allows the class to become familiar with the current calls offered by the authorities in the field of digitization of Spanish companies. This practice motivates group work and strengthens people's coordination abilities.

In accordance with the gender perspective, students are encouraged to form mixed groups to reproduce a training environment that is more open and closer to professional reality.

This combined methodology makes it possible to guarantee the learning not only of the basic skills, but also of specific skills such as E09, related to the ability to plan and coordinate the own resources of the security subsystems: people, technologies and infrastructures; general skills such as G04 on professional performance sensitive to inequalities due to sex or gender; and transversal skills, such as T01 on the development of scientific thinking and critical reasoning in issues of prevention and integral security.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Elaboration of a project 50% 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
Exam 20% 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
Tracking tabs 30% 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22

 

Ongoing evaluation

The assessment system will consist of two individuals in person tests, the submission and public defense of a group paper on a project script and the individual in person final examination.

 

First test: 20% of the grade

Styles of citation and argumentation techniques.

 

Second test: 20% of the grade

Project planning and logical framework approach.

 

Group work on a project script memory: 20% of the grade

The group must have a grade of 5 to pass the course. It consists of writing and defending a script memo of a project in front of the whole class during the last class of the course in January.

 

Final exam: 40% of the grade

The exam must have a grade of 5 to pass the course. The content covers all major areas of the syllabus already covered in class and evaluated in previous tests.

 

The score for passing the continuous assessment will be the weighted result of these four elements. To pass the continuous assessment this average must be 5 or higher.

 

Single Evaluation 

Students who opt for the single evaluation option will take a final synthesis test of the entire content of the subject (50%) and will have to submit individually the writing of the project script memory (50%). To pass the course, the minimum grade of the project script memory must be 5. 

Anyone who intends to opt for this evaluation option should contact the professor before the Christmas holidays, to obtain the approval of the topic chosen for the writing of the script memo of the project. No delivery will be accepted that has not been previously agreed with the professor. 

The date for this test and the handover of the project memo script will be the same as scheduled for the ongoing evaluation system, highlighted before. 

The same recovery system as for the ongoing evaluation option shall be applied. 

 

Assessment of students in second call or more 

Students who repeat the course will have to take the scheduled tests and exams and hand in the individual work on the script memo on the dates indicated in the Moodle classroom. All repeating students are advised to contact the professor before the end of September. 

 

Recovery evaluation system 

Students who fail the subject may take a final exam provided that they have been assessed in a set of activities equivalent to at least two thirds of the total grade of the subject: that is, to be eligible for recovery, they must have completed the script-memory work and two other individual tests.  

If you have not been assessed by these two thirds (which must include the writing of the memo script) because you failed to take the exams, you will receive a grade of Not Presented, without being able to take the final recovery exam. 

In this examination, all the contents of the subject that have not been passed in the continuous assessment will be re-evaluated. 

In case of passing the final exam, the subject will be passed with a maximum of 5, regardless of the grade obtained in the exam. 

 

Change of date of a test or examination 

Students who need to change an assessment date must submit the request by filling out the document in the Moodle Tutoring EPSI space. 

Once completed, the document must be sent to the faculty of the subject and to the coordination of the Degree. 

 

Review 

At the time of each assessment activity,teachers will inform students of the mechanisms for reviewing grades. 

For single assessment students the review process will be the same. 

 

Otherconsiderations 

Without prejudice to other disciplinary measures that may be deemed appropriate, and in accordance with current academic regulations, "in the event that the student makes any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of an assessment act, this assessment act will be graded with a 0 regardless of the disciplinary process that may be instructed. If several irregularities occur in the assessment acts of the same subject, the final grade of this subject will be 0 ". 

 

Plagiarism 

If circumstances occur that prevent the normal development of the subject, teachers may modify both the methodology and the assessment of the subject. 

If during the correction there are indications that an activity or work has been carried out with answers assisted by artificial intelligence, the teacher may complement the activity with a personal interview to corroborate the authorship of the text. 


Bibliography

The teacher responsible for the subject will make available to the students, through the Aula Moodle, teaching materials to prepare the various subjects of the subject. It is also advisable to consult the following bibliography of the subject (cited below in the APA 6th Edition style):

Cassany, D. (2007). Esmolar l'eina: Guia de redacció per a professionals. Barcelona: Editorial Empúries

Cassany, D. (2008). La cuina de l'escriptura. Barcelona: Editorial Empúries

Mille Galán, J. M. (2008). Manual bàsic d'elaboració i avaluació de projectes. Barcelona: Ajuntament de Barcelona.

UVic (2016), Guía para elaborar citas bibliográficas en formato APA, UVic Biblioteca, disponible en https://www.uvic.cat/sites/default/files/altres_a2016_guia_elaborar_citas.pdf

 

Link to APA norms 2021: https://normas-apa.org/etiqueta/normas-apa-2021/

Link to differences between APA 6th and 7th Edition: https://normasapa.in/

 

Recommended readings:

Observatory on Women and Security: https://www.mujeryseguridad.es/ 

World Bank (2022), We need more girls and women in science. What are three ways in which we can support them?available at https://blogs.worldbank.org/education/we-need-more-girls-and-women-science-what-are-three-ways-which-we-can-support-them

 


Software

Students are expected to have basic knowledge on the use of the most common computer programs for searching information on the Internet, and for the elaboration and edition of texts, tables, and charts.


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan/Spanish first semester afternoon
(TE) Theory 2 Catalan/Spanish first semester afternoon