Indra and Universidad Europea collaborate in the social e-learning study

Indra and Universidad Europea have launched a research project based on social learning that consists of applying the model of social networks to training with the aim of assessing its quality and improving the true transfer of shared knowledge to the workplace. The study forms part of the Indra Research Chair that was created in 2010 at Universidad Europea, and it is led by the university's School of Doctoral Studies and Research.

The final objective of this initiative is to design a new education model that guarantees improving the quality and making the most of training with new learning methods that, through the use of networks, make it easier to share, extend and maximise the profitability of knowledge within organisations. This type of training transforms students and professors into an active part of the campus thanks to web communities, discussion forums, blogs, virtual classrooms and posts. Indra plans to include this new learning model in its e-Campus Social Learning service with the aim of boosting its capabilities.

The study will be based on Indra's comprehensive training and talent management solution. Specifically, the Sharing Knowledge platform of the multinational's Talent Development department will be analysed. This tool provides training to nearly 40,000 Indra professionals throughout the world.

To do so, researchers at Universidad Europea will analyse the learning communities and groups with different activity levels, along with the impact of the learning generated in these groups of professionals on the company. Researchers will also assess the contributions of the various resources available in the platform and whether they favour the transfer of knowledge to the work performed by professionals and improve their global vision. In addition, researchers will check to see if there are differences related to the age of users.

Based on the results of the evaluative research, a learning model will be designed that promotes the development of shared knowledge and optimises its application to benefit the organisation. This learning model, which will have Universidad Europea's quality seal, will be added to Indra's e-learning offering.

e-Campus available in the Cloud

e-Campus, the name of Indra's innovative university, combines training in terms of skills and talent with social e-learning. It offers a complete business solution, available in the Cloud in SaaS (Software as a Service) mode, that includes everything from providing the technological infrastructure and user support, to managing the educational resources and tutorials, as well as the tasks related to the training's administration, among others. In this area, each organisation can flexibly purchase the services of most interest to it.

The technological platform enables students and teachers to have at their disposal all the elements required to study and teach the chosen content via a variety of electronic devices connected to the net. As a result, students always have access to the training portal so they may complete the courses, participate in virtual tutorials and resolve doubts in the virtual library in order to manage their time for the best use of their training hours. Additionally, instructors have full visibility over the students and the training materials. In other words, aside from being able to access evaluation reports and virtual forums and classrooms, instructors can coordinate with other tutors, monitor registrations and cancellations in the platforms, and perform many other tasks.

Mass training, budget optimisation and centralised management of all the training are some of the other main benefits of the platform. Moreover, it offers data analysis options and mechanisms to support decision making so that both the students and teachers and the organisation can fully benefit from the training activities.

On the cutting edge of Cloud services

e-Campus forms part of Indra's new Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions portfolio, which currently includes more than 35 solutions that directly address specific business needs and will progressively include new products.

Indra is on the cutting edge of cloud computing services and solutions thanks to its comprehensive offer, called Indra InCloud, which covers the entire value chain of information technology services: from consultancy (helping customers optimise their capacities and minimise their costs) to the development of new solutions and the outsourcing of IT services. One of the main objectives of InCloud is the development of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions that address specific business needs.

Indra is the number one multinational consultancy and technology company in Spain and a leader in Europe and Latin America. Innovation is the cornerstone of its business and sustainability, having allocated €550 million to R&D&i in the last three years, making it one of the leading companies in Europe in its sector in terms of investment. With sales approaching €3,000 million, nearly 60% of its income is from the international market. The company employs 42,000 professionals and has customers in 128 countries.

About the School of Doctoral Studies and Research at Universidad Europea

The School of Doctoral Studies and Research at Universidad Europea is a pioneer effort in Spain's private education, and its objective is to connect the university's research activities with its doctoral programmes. Thanks to these synergies, the School provides all doctoral students with the opportunity to immediately join an actual research team with active lines of research, and this improves the management of the resources assigned to these areas. The School's research projects are carried out by its five Centres of Excellence for Research: Health and Life Sciences, Physical Activity and Sports, Intelligent Systems and Renewable Energy, Educational Innovation, and Values and Global Society. These knowledge areas have been identified by Universidad Europea as priorities in its goal to bring research closer to the needs of today's society. By viewing research in this manner, Universidad Europea has launched a number of research chairs linked to major companies. Examples include the ASISA Health Sciences Research Chair, the Florencio Tejerina Breast Pathology and Medical Humanities Research Chair, the Steelcase Educational Spaces and Equipment Research Chair, and the Mediaset Research Chair for the Development of Audiovisual Resources.

The School of Doctoral Studies and Research is the result of Universidad Europea's commitment to R&D&i from an applied perspective that has enabled it to be the leader of Physical Activity and Sports research according to the I-UGR ranking of Spanish universities, as well as to be one of the private universities with the most scientific production in Spain, providing more than 10% of its publications. Its team of researchers include Alejandro Lucía and Margarita Pérez, whose research activities are aimed at prescribing physical exercise for health; Félix Gómez and Ana Fernández Santander, who are carrying out projects related to genetics in cancer patients; Manuel de Buenaga, the coordinator of multiple research projects aimed at developing technology products and services applied to health; and the architect and urban designer José Luis Esteban Penelas.

Universidad Europea, which leads the Spanish market of private higher education, is an innovative and renowned educational institution with more than 16,000 students. Its mission is to provide students with comprehensive education, creating leaders and professionals who are ready to address the needs of a global world, providing value amongst its professionals and contributing to social progress through an entrepreneurial spirit and ethical commitment. True to its innovative focus, its activities are based on three fundamental values: the employability of its graduates, an international focus, and promoting the skills and abilities of students.