Strategic Lines
The Student Observatory is an organization of the UACE that has the purpose of carrying out analyses, reports and publications of interest on university students, obtaining a concrete vision of their profile and needs.
Line I. Detection of student needs and their dissemination.
Line II. Promotion of university commitment and feeling of belonging.
Projects funded 2023
The Student Observatory, through the Student Observatory Projects Call, aims to finance projects led by teaching and research staff from the Rey Juan Carlos University that are intended to analyze the needs and sensitivities of the student body in accordance with the strategic lines defined in the bases of this provision.
The projects that have been funded in the first call have been:
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Perception of gender violence among undergraduate students at the URJC.
- Coordinator: Maria Avila Bravo-Villasante.
This study analyses how URJC undergraduate students perceive gender violence, addressing factors such as awareness, attitudes, and the incidence of this social problem in the university environment.
- Coordinator: Maria Avila Bravo-Villasante.
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Stress, coping and mental health in a sample of Spanish university students: quantitative and qualitative study.
- Coordinator: Carlos Vara Garcia.
This work focuses on stress and mental health of university students, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods to understand how they cope with stress and what impact it has on their mental health.
- Coordinator: Carlos Vara Garcia.
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Causes and consequences of dropping out of university studies at URJC.
- Coordinator: Clara Simon de Blas.
This study examines the factors that lead URJC students to drop out of school, as well as the personal, academic, and social consequences of this decision.
- Coordinator: Clara Simon de Blas.
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Academic engagement and university dropout in URJC undergraduate programs: a statistical analysis.
- Coordinator: Rachel Montes Diaz.
This statistical analysis explores the relationship between student academic engagement and dropout from university studies in URJC degree programs.
- Coordinator: Rachel Montes Diaz.
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The impact of active teaching methodologies on student motivation and subject dropout in the field of science and engineering.
- Coordinator: Jaime Urquiza Fuentes.
This study investigates how active teaching methodologies (such as project-based or problem-based learning) affect students' motivation and their decision to drop subjects in science and engineering courses.
- Coordinator: Jaime Urquiza Fuentes.
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Motivation at university and the driving force of the social elevator (MUMAS).
- Coordinator: Mercedes Alda Fernandez.
This project explores how motivation in the university context can act as a driver of social advancement, that is, how university studies can influence the social mobility of students.
- Coordinator: Mercedes Alda Fernandez.
Projects funded 2024
The projects that have been funded in the second call have been:
Mental Health, Healthy Habits and Addictions Line:
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AcompañaDOCs: emotional well-being with group support interventions to contribute to the satisfactory development of doctoral studies.
- Coordinator: Maria del Pilar Abad Romero.
This project focuses on improving the emotional well-being of PhD students through group support interventions, seeking to facilitate satisfactory academic development.
- Coordinator: Maria del Pilar Abad Romero.
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From sexting to image-based sexual harassment and abuse: new underlying dangers of online sexual violence in URJC students.
- Coordinator: Alba Adá Lameiras.
This study explores the emerging risks of online sexual violence, such as sexting and image-based sexual abuse, and their impact on university students.
- Coordinator: Alba Adá Lameiras.
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Healthy habits and determinants of physical activity levels of URJC university students.
- Coordinator: Jose Manuel Delfa de la Morena.
This project analyses healthy lifestyle habits and factors that influence physical activity levels among university students.
- Coordinator: Jose Manuel Delfa de la Morena.
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Mental health in university students with a gender perspective: quantitative and qualitative study.
- Coordinator: Samara Barrera Knight.
This research addresses the mental health of university students from a gender perspective, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches.
- Coordinator: Samara Barrera Knight.
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InteracTEA. Interactive map application to promote socialization of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder level 1.
- Coordinator: Aaron Sujar Garrido.
This project develops an interactive mapping application to help students with Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to socialize and navigate in the university environment.
- Coordinator: Aaron Sujar Garrido.
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Analysis of (Poly)consumption of drugs and stimulants in the university population and associated risk factors.
- Coordinator: Yolanda Valcarcel Rivera.
This study examines multiple drug and stimulant use among college students, identifying related risk factors.
- Coordinator: Yolanda Valcarcel Rivera.
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Vulnerability and resilience in the mental health and psychological well-being of university students: a study for prevention and health promotion.
- Coordinator: Lorena Gutierrez Hermoso.
This research analyses the vulnerability and resilience factors that affect the mental health and psychological well-being of students, with the aim of promoting preventive strategies.
- Coordinator: Lorena Gutierrez Hermoso.
Line of Coexistence, Cohesion and Participation:
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Student satisfaction at the URJC from the quality of communications and relationships.
- Coordinator: Carmen de Pablos Heir.
This study assesses the level of satisfaction of URJC students in relation to the quality of communications and relationships within the university environment.
- Coordinator: Carmen de Pablos Heir.
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Study of student university behavioral sustainability (SCU-E) by analyzing their behavior in the three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, social and economic (ASE).
- Coordinator: Iria Paz Gil.
This project investigates the sustainability of university students' behaviors in the environmental, social and economic dimensions, seeking to promote sustainable behaviors.
- Coordinator: Iria Paz Gil.
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Analysis of URJC student awareness, participation and engagement through the university's volunteer programs. Proposals for improvement.
- Coordinator: Rocio Gonzalez Sanchez.
This analysis focuses on the participation and engagement of URJC students in volunteer programs, and suggests improvements to increase their effectiveness.
- Coordinator: Rocio Gonzalez Sanchez.
Other lines duly justified:
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PERSEIDS – Perception of safety of students when traveling to access the URJC campuses and within them.
- Coordinator: Paloma Caceres Garcia de Marina.
This project studies students' perception of safety when travelling to and within the URJC campuses, identifying possible areas for improvement.
- Coordinator: Paloma Caceres Garcia de Marina.
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The Plastic Invasion!
- Coordinator: Marta Munoz Hernandez.
This project focuses on the problem of excessive use of plastics, possibly analyzing its effects on the university environment and proposing sustainable solutions.
- Coordinator: Marta Munoz Hernandez.
Projects funded 2025
III Call for Projects of the Student Observatory of the Rey Juan Carlos University
Mental health, healthy habits and addictions line:
- Motives, Facilitators, and Barriers to Seeking Help to Improve Mental Health in College Students.
Coordinator: Ariadna Maria de la Vega Castelo
This study focuses on understanding the reasons, facilitators, and barriers that hinder students from across the different campuses and program areas of Rey Juan Carlos University from seeking help to improve their mental health.
- Observatory of digital addictions, physical activity, and healthy habits among students at Rey Juan Carlos University.
Coordinator: Daniel Collado Mateo
This project analyzes the influence of physical activity on the prevention and mitigation of digital addiction and energy drink consumption among university students.
Line of coexistence, cohesion and participation:
- Unwanted loneliness among URJC university students: psychosocial antecedents and health consequences.
Coordinator: Yolanda Pastor Ruiz
This study describes the rates of unwanted loneliness among URJC university students and identifies the psychosocial factors that influence it, as well as its consequences for physical and mental health.
- The level of students' knowledge and commitment to ethical procedures and regulations.
Coordinator: Alicia Blanco González
This project informs, educates, and engages students about the importance of ethics in work and life, the ethical standards that exist in the academic field, and also actively involves them in their application and understanding.
- Critical thinking and digital strategies to combat misinformation.
Coordinator: María Ávila Bravo-Vilasante
This study contributes to eradicating misinformation among URJC students, especially fake news and hoaxes that are socially oriented and contribute to fracturing cohesion within and outside the university.
Motivation and causes of dropping out of university studies
- MotivaDOS-URJC: An educational communication strategy to strengthen connections, belonging, and reputation at the Rey Juan Carlos University.
Coordinator: Clara Janneth Santos-Martínez
This strategy enhances the work students complete during classes, fostering visibility and pre-scientific production and generating a sense of purpose and belonging among URJC students, elements that are crucial for maintaining academic engagement.
- Promoting motivation in engineering degrees: An SDG-based approach to reducing dropout rates.
Coordinator: Eva Sanz Santos
This project addresses the worrying trend of dropouts in URJC engineering programs by identifying the causes and reducing them through the implementation of motivational and collaborative activities.
- Disconnect to Connect: Exploring the Impact of Transformative Education on College Students' Motivation and Purpose.
Coordinator: Ana Isabel Muñoz Mazón
This project explores whether activities that deeply connect with the world, such as volunteering, transformative teaching, and impactful projects, are meaningful and sustainable, and can also compete for attention and time with the use of devices.
- Motivation and University Dropout: Analysis and Retention Strategies at the URJC (MAU-URJC).
Coordinator: Desiree Garcia Lazaro
This study identifies the causes of university dropout at the URJC and develops strategies to improve student motivation and retention, using qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze the data and propose effective interventions.
Expense processing
¿How to manage expenses?
Before making a purchase, the service must confirm the eligibility of the expense. To do so, you must send us a budget or capture of what you intend to purchase using the form provided for each call: accommodation, travel, registration, publication costs, etc.
Once we confirm your eligibility, you can either make the payment to generate the invoice and receive reimbursement from us, or we will process the payment to the company for the service. This will depend on the urgency and magnitude of the payments.
Expenses for conferences, seminars, etc. that involve commission for services:
Observatory projects cannot be included in the secondment platform, as they are not research projects. Therefore, if you intend to attend a conference, please apply without indicating your funding. You must provide this information on the eligibility application form, duly signed, to process the appropriate allowances through a travel declaration.
Therefore, If it is a congress-event type activity, you must follow the following steps:
1. Request a service commission.
2. Obtain the budget/capture of registration, accommodation, travel, etc.
3. Make the eligibility request through the form.
3. Once the expense is deemed appropriate, we will authorize you to make the purchase and subsequently reimburse you with duly substantiated invoices. Only in exceptional cases will we be able to process payment from the service without requiring an advance.
It is very important that the project coordinator ensures that the members of his or her team are active. (linked to the URJC or enrolled if they are students). Otherwise, if any of them request an expense, we will not be able to grant them eligibility. Finally, remember that you cannot purchase inventory materials, but you can purchase consumables. You cannot hire staff either.