The ULL hosts the access conferences to strengthen coordination between Spanish universities

The University of La Laguna will host the 8th CRUE-Student Affairs Conference on Access and Admission on October 22nd and 23rd. This event brings together representatives from Spanish universities to analyze the main challenges of access to higher education and to advance the coordination of admission procedures. The harmonization of the University Entrance Examination (PAU), equal opportunities, and adaptation to new educational realities are the focus of the sessions, which will take place in the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Economics, Business, and Tourism on the Guajara Campus.

The opening ceremony, held yesterday, Thursday, October 22, was attended by the president of CRUE-Student Affairs and rector of the University of Almería, José Joaquín Céspedes Lorente; the Vice-Rector for Students at the University of La Laguna, María Rosario Hernández Borges; the Deputy Minister of Education of the Government of the Canary Islands, José Manuel Cabrera Delgado; and the executive secretary of CRUE-Student Affairs and vice-rector of the University of Seville, Carmen Gallardo Cruz. The Rector of the University of La Laguna, Francisco Javier García Rodríguez, He intervened through an audiovisual message.

During her speech, María Rosario Hernández emphasized the importance of addressing issues that directly affect the academic future of thousands of students and their families. In this regard, she stressed the responsibility of universities in managing this particularly sensitive process, which must be carried out rigorously and guarantee equitable access to higher education.

(De izq. a der.) Carmen Gallardo, secretaria ejecutiva de CRUE-Asuntos Estudiantiles; José Manuel Cabrera, viceconsejero de Educación del Gobierno de Canarias; José Joaquín Céspedes, presidente de CRUE-Asuntos Estudiantiles; y María Rosario Hernández, vicerrectora de Estudiantes de la ULL. Fotos: David González

For her part, Carmen Gallardo thanked the University of La Laguna for its involvement in organizing these conferences and emphasized the importance of maintaining in-person meeting spaces between academic institutions. The executive secretary acknowledged the financial difficulties universities face in organizing these types of initiatives, but defended their continuation as a necessary tool for sharing experiences, strengthening cooperation, and advancing common solutions.

The Deputy Minister of Education for the Canary Islands Government, José Manuel Cabrera, highlighted the collaborative work undertaken by the two public universities in the Canary Islands, the University of La Laguna and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, to adapt the University Entrance Exams (PAU) to the new established criteria. He also noted that "the Canary Islands has been one of the autonomous communities that has most rigorously applied the harmonization guidelines" and emphasized the need to continue making progress on common agreements regarding the exam schedule and support measures for students with specific educational needs.

Cabrera Delgado also stressed the importance of maintaining close coordination between universities and high schools to avoid differences that could harm students and to promote the most homogeneous access conditions possible throughout the country.

The president of CRUE-Student Affairs, José Joaquín Céspedes, emphasized the importance of these conferences as spaces for reflection and debate to address the challenges affecting university students. Among these, he highlighted the harmonization of the University Entrance Exams (PAU), a process in which, he explained, progress has been made, although differences persist in the application of the criteria by the autonomous communities.

Céspedes also addressed the challenges that artificial intelligence poses to teaching and assessment systems, as well as the need to establish shared criteria for supporting students with specific needs. In this regard, she advocated for “standardization as one of the main objectives of the work carried out by CRUE-Student Affairs.”.

The Rector of the University of La Laguna, Francisco Javier García, welcomed attendees via video message, expressing his satisfaction at hosting a meeting dedicated to improving university admissions procedures. He also emphasized the importance of ensuring equity in an increasingly complex context and of continuing to work towards providing a better welcome for prospective university students.

Two days to address the challenges of university access

The program of the conference began on Thursday with a session dedicated to the state of the harmonization of the University Access Assessment (PAU), its commitments and pending tasks, led by Juan Luis Benítez Muñoz, Vice-Rector for Students and University Life at the University of Granada. Subsequently, the discussion turned to students with specific educational support needs and the advisability of moving towards a common model of adaptations in entrance exams, with the participation of representatives from the two public universities in the Canary Islands.

The conference continues today, Friday, October 23, with new working sessions focused on some of the main challenges of university access. The first session will address the impact of artificial intelligence on entrance and admission tests, with the participation of Hector Esteban Gonzalez, from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, and Ana Lisbona Bañuelos, Vice-Rector of Students and Inclusion at the National University of Distance Education.

Next, access to university from Higher Level Vocational Training cycles will be analyzed in a session led by Carmen Gallardo, from the University of Seville, and José Alberto Conejero Casares, Vice-Rector for Students and Entrepreneurship at the Polytechnic University of Valencia.

Friday's program also includes a session dedicated to the access and admission procedures for degrees linked to international partnerships and the role of university services in shaping these degrees. Representatives from the Complutense University of Madrid, the University of Cádiz, and the University of Cantabria will participate.

The meeting will conclude this afternoon with a sharing of the agreements adopted during the working sessions and the closing ceremony in which María Rosario Hernández Borges, Carmen Gallardo and Juan Luis Benítez Muñoz will participate.

With this meeting, Spanish universities seek to strengthen their coordination and move towards common criteria that will improve access and admission processes, guaranteeing greater equity and equal opportunities for students.