The document provides information about the educational system in Catalonia, Spain. It discusses the levels of primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. It specifically focuses on the Virtual University of Catalonia (IOC), an online public school that offers compulsory education, secondary education, vocational training, and entrance exam preparation courses. The IOC was formed in 2006 by merging three existing distance learning initiatives. It is publicly funded and aims to provide learning opportunities for anyone anywhere. In the 2009-2010 school year it had over 17,000 students and over 100 teachers. The majority of students are adults combining work and study.

1. VUC visit
October 2010

2. Educational system in Catalonia
University
Entry test
University
Present Education System
1st cycle
2nd cycle
1st cycle
2nd cycle
3rd cycle
5è
6è
3r
4t
1r
2n
Compulsory
Secondary
Education
3r
4t
1r
2n
Primary
Education
6
Graduate in Secondary Education
16
ESO
12
Pre-Primary
Education
3
0
LabourMarket
Social Guarantee
Programmes (PGS)
Certificate
VET
course
Intermediate Technician
(qualification)
VET course
Advanced Technician
(qualification)
1r
2n
BAC Certificate
Batxillerat
VET
Intermediate
level
Entry test
Entry test addressed to people over 25 years old
Entry test
1st cycle Diplomat
3rd cycle Doctor
2nd cycleBachelor
VET
Advanced
level

3. History
• The IOC was born in 2006 from three existing initiatives
on distance learning managed by the Department of
Education of Catalonia.
– The ICESD Institut Català d’Ensenyament Secundari
a Distància ( Compulsory and secondary education
distance learning)
– Palau de Mar – GES ( compulsory adult distance
learning)
– FP oberta (vocational training distance learning)

4. Status and funding
• Institution of reference in Catalonia which reaches
anyone who wants to learn anywhere and anytime
• integrating all kinds of learning into only one institution.
• promoting the offer of new formative activities and new
learning demanded by our society
• public school of reference as a new and singular e-
learning project
• Funding by the Educational Department of Catalonia and
by the public registration fees

5. Target group
• Most of the students are adults (over 20) with other
occupations and responsibilities
• A small number are teenagers in special conditions
(sportsmen, musicians, physically handicapped people,
students living abroad, situations of social deprivation…)
• The IOC has 3% of students from Catalonia
• In vocational training, the number of students is higher
(7%)

6. Course 2009/10
• FORMAL EDUCATION
• Compulsory education
– GES Graduate of secondary education (1st and 2on cycle)
• Non-compulsory education
– “Bachillerato” (Upper Secondary School)
– VET Vocational training (Middle and higher degree)
• NON-FORMAL EDUCATION
• Courses of preparation for entrance examinations
– CFGM (Middle degree vocational training)
– CFGS (Higher degree vocational training)
– University
– Other (Cisco)

7. GES
Graduate of secondary education
Three areas:
• Communication: Catalan, Spanish and foreign
languages ( English, French, German or Italian)
• Scientific: Mathematics, Science and Technology
• Social: Social Sciences, Image and Design and Music

8. Upper Secondary Education (+16)
• Art (Image & Design or Music and Dance)
• Humanities and Social Sciences
• Science and Techonology

9. Vocational training
• Middle Grade Training (CFGM)
– CFGM Administrative Management (1300h.)
– CFGM Electrical Systems / CFGM Electrical equipment and
installations (2000h.)
– CFGM Consumer Electronics (2000h.)
– CFGM Social and health care (2000h.)
– CFGM Microcomputer systems and networks /CFGM
Exploitation of computer systems (2000h.)
– CFGM Nursing (2000h.)

10. Vocational training
• Higher Grade Training (CFGS)
– CFGS Secretarial studies (1300h.)
– CFGS Administration and Finance (2000h.)
– CFGS Business management and marketing (1400h.)
– CFGS Nursery (2000h.)
– CFGS Prevention of occupational hazzards (2000h.)
– CFGM Development of computer applications (2000h.)

11. IOC evolution
2006/7 2007/8 2008/9 2009/10 2010/11
Students 5687 7625 10706 15420 17.450
Teachers 70 83 99 101 111
Administrative
assistants
8 8 9 11 12
Collaborators 7 79 204 + 300

12. IOC evolution
Evolució alumnat IOC
2025
16151830
4760
5200
1370
15420
320
3960
705
2150
1170
5687
16621689
2407
7625
1699
3200
2925
2049
10705
1860
671
2200
1890
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
18000
FP GES PACFGS PACFGS-IOC BATXILLERAT TOTAL
Curs 05/06 Curs 06/07 Curs 07/08 Curs 08/09 Curs 09/10

13. Graduates
Studies 2008/09 2009/10
GES 758 792
Secondary
Education
341 367
Vocational
Education
311 628
Total 1410 1937

14. Graduates
Age
GES
Secondary
education
Vocational
Education
Middle
Degree
Vocational
Education
Higher
Degree
18 to 25
393 301 15 65
25 to 29
177 41 26 122
30 to 39
244 13 36 208
40 to 49
103 10 33 100
More than 50
25 2 3 20
Total 942 367 113 515

15. Age distribution in GES
3rd quarter 2009-10: 5053 students

16. Age distribution in secondary
Education
2on semester 2009-10: 1291 students

17. Age distribution
Courses of preparation for entrance examinations
2on semester 2009-10: 1752 students

18. Age distribution CFGM
2on semester 2009-10: 1247 students

19. Age distribution CFGS
2on semester 2009-10: 4288 students

20. Gender distribution

21. Subjects
A typical student attends:
• 3 or 4 subjects in VET each semester
• 4 subjects in GES each term
• A complete course in preparation for entrance
examinations
• In non compulsory secondary education, it depends on
the student

22. Students work
It is very difficult to say, but according to the annual
surveys the IOC carries out every year:
– Two or three hours per day
• We do not know if this is real or not

23. Contact student-teacher
The students can contact their teachers as often as
necessary.
• In each subject, there is an e-mail box where the
students can contact their teachers personally.
• The teachers must answer in 24/ 48 hours.

24. Written assignments
In GES, secondary education and preparation courses, the
written assignments and deliveries are due every two
weeks.
In VET, there is a delivery each 30 hours.
The number of activities delivered by the students depends
on the subject. There can be different types of activities
(written documents, quizzes, participations in forums,...)
Sometimes there are group activities.

25. Student’s fee
• GES: 12 to 20 € per quarter
• Secondary education: 32 to 58 € per semester
• Preparation course: 58 € per year
• VET: 32€ per each subject per semester

26. Financial basis for students
• As a public school, our students can apply for state
grants
• The last course our headmaster signed more than 200
grants

27. Theory versus practice
• The relation between theory and practice depends on
the studies and the subjects, but the IOC model tends to
give more importance to the activities that the students
do than to the contents of the subject.

28. Study and work
• Most of our students are workers: 80 %
• Therefore, the students can work and study at the same
time because they only come to school for the final test
at the end of the term or semester.

29. Teacher’s educated
• The IOC teachers are trained by the courses offered by
the Department of Education every year.
• Moreover, each year there are specific courses only for
teachers working at the IOC.
• Most of these courses and seminars offer blended
learning, with some classroom sessions and some e-
learning work.

30. Labour market
• The intention of our school is to offer training activities
addressed to the labour market, but at the moment we
only have a “CISCO” course.

31. School organization
• 1 Coordinator of distance education
• 1 Headmaster
• 4 directors of studies ( GES, Secondary Education, VET,
and EOI)
• 3 secretaries
• 1 administrator
• 1 director of technology
• 1 director of computer systems
• 1 quality coordinator
• 32 coordinators: coordinators for each type of
educations, heads of departments, coordinators for
collaborators, language coordinator...

32. Students with problems
• In compulsory education, GES, the school makes
curriculum adaptations.
• We take handicapped students in all types of education.
• But, in the school we lack qualified staff to help people
with other kinds of problems.
• Anyway, all the teachers look for a solution when they
detect students with problems

33. Thanks for your attention