Collaboration between universities for a common cause
Students of the Education Degrees of two academic institutions, the Abat Oliba CEU University in Barcelona and the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid, have established a synergy to create an innovative literary work. The book, entitled ‘Virtus. Beyond victory, ‘presents inspirational stories of sports figures that have shown considerable resilience. Its mission? Educate future generations in fundamental values through literature.
Stories that inspire: from reality to training
Under the direction of Dra. Gloria Gallego and Dr. Miguel Ángel Barbero, students have created narratives aimed at a young audience, with the aim of making the experiences of great athletes accessible. Stories of personal and professional overcoming of athletes such as Serena and Venus Williams, Michael Jordan, and Simone Biles become examples of strength and determination.
The pillars of resilience
Each story not only tells facts, but also highlights key values of resilience, such as positive thinking, commitment to the community, and humor. These concepts have been defined by the Trivium research group, which has worked to identify and disseminate the elements that foster a resilient mentality among young people.
Educational Innovation: Methodologies that transform
The project is based on an innovative educational methodology that combines online collaborative learning (coil) with a service learning approach (APS). This initiative was attended by the Université de Picardie Jules Verne d’Amiens, France, thus expanding its international dimension.
A collaborative creation process
For more than a year, students have been immersed in the creation, revision and improvement of stories, focusing on strength as an essential virtue of adversity. The project coordinators emphasize that ‘virtues are fundamental in teaching training, and sport represents a daily channel to approach these values.’
A transformative impact on education
‘Virtus. Beyond victory ‘exemplifies how education can be positively influenced by society. This work offers an attractive and committed narrative for future teachers, transmitting universal values in a literary way that captures attention.
Presentation and future projects
The book was recently presented during the Second Conference ‘Virtus’ at Abat Oliba CEU University, an event that brought together several institutions to discuss sport as an educational tool. Students have shared that they are already working in a second edition of the book, which promises to incorporate a more interactive format and new teaching methodologies.