• 2017cover Presentation
  • 1

University Microcredential in Dog-Assisted Education in Educational Centers

INFORMATION, PRE-REGISTRATION AND REGISTRATION

Student attention:    Student Help Box     Suggestions, complaints and congratulations mailbox

Get more info

Basic Information

Presentation

Education today faces the challenge of responding to an increasingly diverse, complex, and changing reality. Educational institutions have the mission not only of transmitting knowledge but also of fostering the holistic development of students, promoting emotional well-being, inclusion, positive coexistence, and the acquisition of personal and social skills. In this context, innovative methodologies that incorporate complementary educational resources have become an invaluable tool for enriching teaching and learning processes.

Among these methodologies, dog-assisted education stands out, a discipline that has experienced growth in recent years thanks to the results obtained in different educational settings. The presence of the dog as a facilitator of learning helps to create more motivating environments, encourages active student participation, improves communication, and strengthens important aspects such as self-esteem, emotional self-regulation, empathy, and social skills.

The microcredential program was created to offer specialized, up-to-date, and high-quality training for professionals who wish to rigorously and ethically incorporate these types of interventions into the school setting. This training program responds to the growing demand from teachers, educators, social workers, social integration specialists, and other education professionals interested in expanding their skills through knowledge of new intervention methodologies.

The design of this micro-credential aims to provide a comprehensive overview of dog-assisted education, addressing both the theoretical foundations and the practical aspects necessary for the design, planning, implementation, and evaluation of educational programs adapted to the characteristics of different school contexts. Dog-assisted education can become a particularly useful tool for developing curricular competencies, communication skills, emotional development, attention, executive functions, conflict resolution, and cooperative work. It also delves into canine behavior, animal welfare, safety and hygiene protocols, and the ethical considerations that should govern any intervention involving a dog.

From a professional perspective, this micro-credential represents an opportunity to acquire highly sought-after skills in an emerging field within educational innovation. This model allows professionals to incorporate specialized knowledge that they can immediately apply in their daily practice, fostering continuous professional development and educational innovation.

Objectives

  • Building inclusive narratives in the educational center.
  • Design teaching proposals with the educational resource dog technical binomial (BTP).
  • Develop the planned teaching proposals using the BTP educational resource.
  • Evaluate the teaching proposal.
  • Training in action research.

Program

CONTENT MODULE TYPE

Number of ECTS credits

Ob

required

3

Op

Optional

0

PE

External internships (mandatory)

1
 

TOTAL CREDITS

4
  • List of curriculum modules:

Name of the Content Modules

Brief description (maximum recommended 160 characters)

ECTS

Type

Block 1: The teacher in dog-assisted education (DAE)

To understand the general aspects of dog-assisted education from its theoretical and practical dimensions.

1

OB

Block 2: Learning Situations in EAP (Teaching Innovation)

Designing innovative teaching proposals using the (Technician-Dog Pair) resource in the classroom

0,2

OB

Block 3: Technical and dog team in EAP

To know and value the nature and characteristics of the resource (Technical dog team)

1

OB

Block 4: The teacher-researcher in EAP

Knowing how to design an evaluative research (R/A) for teacher professional development

0,8

OB

Block 5: Practices

Knowing how to design and implement innovative teaching proposals that integrate this resource in educational contexts, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to promote inclusive, coordinated interventions adapted to the needs of the students.

1

OB

Recipients

Access requirements:

Early Childhood and Primary Education, as well as professionals linked to the educational and pedagogical field (such as social educators, psychologists, and social integration technicians dedicated to the educational field). It is geared towards those interested in expanding their knowledge, developing new skills, and delving deeper into the content related to the subject matter of the degree.

It is also considered advisable that students show motivation and interest in education, pedagogical innovation, EAA and continuous learning, as this will promote greater benefit from the training and more active participation in the different activities proposed.

Selection criteria:

Students may be admitted to the program without a university degree. However, the following criteria will be considered for admission:

  1. Applicant's qualifications and training
  2. Career path
  3. Years of Experience

In the event that the number of applications exceeds the number of places offered, admission will be resolved by applying the following evaluation criteria, weighted as detailed below.

  1. The applicant's qualifications and/or training will be considered (50%)
  2. Professional experience will be considered (30%)
  3. Years of experience will be considered (20%)

No. of Places:

minimum 10/maximum 15

Academic Management and Faculty

Academic direction:

  • César Bernal Bravo
  • Jose Maria Lopez Diaz

Faculty:

  • César Bernal Bravo
  • Jose Maria Lopez Diaz
  • Israel Gonzalez Garcia
  • Javier Vallejo Bermejo
  • Luz Jaramillo González

Duration and development

Modality: In‑person

Number of credits: 4

Contact hours: 40

Place of delivery: Mostoles Campus

Schedule:

Period of theoretical classes: (30 hours)

Friday: 17:30 p.m. to 20:30 p.m. (October 23 and November 6, 13, 20 and 27).

Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m. (October 24 and November 7, 14 and 21).

Practical class period: (10 hours)

Fridays (17:30 p.m. to 20:30 p.m.) and/or Saturdays (10:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m.): November 27 to December 18. The internships will be conducted in accordance with the training programs in effect during the period in which they take place.

Reservation of place and enrollment

Pre-registration period: September 01, 2026 to October 20, 2026

Enrollment deadline: October 05, 2026 to October 09, 2026

Title price: 750 Euros

Possibility of scholarship (if applicable): Not applicable

The start of the course is subject to the minimum number of enrolled students.

Documentation to attach, forms and place of delivery

The applicant will present all the scanned documentation, in the formats allowed through the link https://www.urjc.es/estudiar-en-la-urjc/admision/276-formacion-continua#preinscripcion

The documentation that you will have to submit is the following:

Students with a degree obtained from a Spanish university or a Higher Education Institution belonging to another Member State of the European Higher Education Area that provides access to continuing education courses must submit the following documentation:

Students with foreign qualifications must submit the following documentation:

Microcredentials, intended for students with or without a previous official university degree.

These courses allow for the certification of learning results linked to short-term training activities. Their duration must, in any case, be less than 15 ECTS credits. Successful completion of these courses through the corresponding assessment tests will entitle the student, where appropriate, to obtain a Certificate with the name of the respective course and will be included in the centralised Register of this type of qualification. In the event that they do not include assessment tests, a certificate of attendance will be obtained.

Go up