The Bologna process implementation requires new teaching and learning environments that meet the new requirements for this huge common space. The adjustment to the EEES needs innovative methodologies in the teaching - learning process that adjust to the new educational perspectives, based on the set of knowledge, capabilities or skills that there must acquire the student, who gives place to a good level of development and performance.
The main aim of this work is to put forward an educational proposal that is in line with European adaptation in the fields of natural sciences and helps to solve a large part of the current problem related to face-to-face teaching. We have select paleontology topic because it is one of the sciences that are able in being updated by these innovative methodologies, but this version is adaptable to other disciplines.
We can adjust the ECTS system to our courses of many ways. Nevertheless, in this case we have selected the blended learning methodology as the more suitable educational system. Specifically, the Blended learning in training can be translated in education like a well-structured introductory lesson in the classroom, and then to provide follow-up materials online.
It has published very much on the blended learning system, so much to favour as in against and, as continuation of our work for several years, we bring here a proposal that, using this system, combines it with the new options of Internet, since they are the web 2.0 tools, specifically the use of wikis as an educational platform, adding their numerous possibilities in the collaborative learning by personal tutorial support session, video conferences, chats, attending classes normally in group... combining the best of the attending and distance trainings.
In the previous version (in fact, still active), the both theoretical and practical topics are lodged in a personal web dependent on the net server, in this case, of the University of Alcalá. The students’ access by means of a unique password for the course files and every student administers his time in the study of the theoretical content. The practical content consists in hands-on lab activities that are explained and realize in class and there clear up themselves the doubts of the theoretical part. The students are evaluated by means of the delivery of the practical activities obligatory and a didactic report. If they do not reach a minimal qualification, they must take an exam.
This type of method has given very good results as for which the students have problems with the face to face teaching: if he or she cannot assist to lectures or labs, it is possible to download the files and later, ask his / her doubts.
The new role of the teacher will have to combine their training skills on the one hand, be an expert of the web 2.0 applications as a tool to be taken into account on the other hand, and have the necessary individual skills as a tutor, since there will be a transformation from a face-to-face form to a partially distance teaching form, trying to pick out the best features from the two forms. It will also be necessary to deal with the fact that the student will not only have to acquire knowledge as learning objectives, but also acquire a series of attitudes and abilities that prepare him or her for his or her professional future. This means that the subjects are no longer defined according to the knowledge to be transmitted and the hours that the teacher has to spend distributing such knowledge; rather, the subjects are based on the skills and abilities that need to be developed among the students in each case.
Consequently, the teacher must update his or her knowledge of these innovative teaching systems, without underestimating the value of the traditional methods, and the student must be prepared for the new forms of teaching and learning.