UNED's outdated model drives students toward private universities
Spain's largest distance university, UNED, faces criticism for an ineffective continuous assessment system and an insular culture that pushes students away.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Why UNED is losing students to private colleges: obsolete assessment and nepotism
An engineering student faces a system where continuous assessment is mandatory but counts for almost nothing, as it is contingent on passing the final exam. There are eliminatory preliminary tests and mandatory in-person labs in Madrid. This is not an isolated case: testimonies are mounting, suggesting that UNED has built a model that punishes working students and rewards bureaucratic inertia.
Fake continuous assessment
The core complaint is that Spain's largest distance university applies a continuous assessment model that fails to ease the burden of the final exam. The famous PECs (Pruebas de Evaluación Continua, or continuous assessment tests) contribute barely one extra point, and only if the exam is passed. For many, it is the worst of both worlds: you waste time on weekly assignments that do not exempt you from an all-or-nothing final exam, and you are forced to coordinate groups and schedules like a primary school child. For those with jobs or family responsibilities, it feels like an absurd imposition: "I want to organize my four months of study, not weekly homework," says one affected student.
A state-funded bubble with its own publishing house
The analysis goes beyond methodology. Critics claim UNED functions as a state-funded enclave designed to perpetuate a civil service caste. The same faculty members who design the syllabi sell them through the university's own publishing house, creating a blatant conflict of interest. The headquarters' staff is described as insular, often involving "fathers, sons, nephews, and other family members." Furthermore, the content is obsolete. One cited example is teaching programming with Modula-2 when C was already the standard. The result is a low-quality academic product sold to 165,000 enrolled students every term.
Alternatives: Private colleges, abroad, or self-management
Faced with this scenario, many have defected to private universities, the UOC (a Spanish online university), or even US-based online institutions. One cited case: a student abandoned Computer Engineering at UNED, enrolled in a US online university, transferred credits, and finished in two years. The key lies in American regional accreditation, which carries more international weight than Spanish degrees. Others settle for self-management: using ChatGPT for assignments at UOC or taking direct courses on platforms like Coursera.
The uncomfortable question
But the underlying debate is not about UNED, but about what 70% of young Spaniards seek in a university: a degree that allows them to sit for civil service exams (oposiciones). As long as the goal is public service, teaching quality will remain secondary. UNED survives because it is cheap and provides the necessary credentials for these exams. Until that scheme changes, it won't matter if the teaching is stuck in the Silurian period.
Related debates in the forum
An engineering student faces a system where continuous assessment is mandatory but counts for almost nothing, as it is contingent on passing the final exam. There are eliminatory preliminary tests and mandatory in-person labs in Madrid. This is not an isolated case: testimonies are mounting, suggesting that UNED has built a model that punishes working students and rewards bureaucratic inertia.
Fake continuous assessment
The core complaint is that Spain's largest distance university applies a continuous assessment model that fails to ease the burden of the final exam. The famous PECs (Pruebas de Evaluación Continua, or continuous assessment tests) contribute barely one extra point, and only if the exam is passed. For many, it is the worst of both worlds: you waste time on weekly assignments that do not exempt you from an all-or-nothing final exam, and you are forced to coordinate groups and schedules like a primary school child. For those with jobs or family responsibilities, it feels like an absurd imposition: "I want to organize my four months of study, not weekly homework," says one affected student.
A state-funded bubble with its own publishing house
The analysis goes beyond methodology. Critics claim UNED functions as a state-funded enclave designed to perpetuate a civil service caste. The same faculty members who design the syllabi sell them through the university's own publishing house, creating a blatant conflict of interest. The headquarters' staff is described as insular, often involving "fathers, sons, nephews, and other family members." Furthermore, the content is obsolete. One cited example is teaching programming with Modula-2 when C was already the standard. The result is a low-quality academic product sold to 165,000 enrolled students every term.
Alternatives: Private colleges, abroad, or self-management
Faced with this scenario, many have defected to private universities, the UOC (a Spanish online university), or even US-based online institutions. One cited case: a student abandoned Computer Engineering at UNED, enrolled in a US online university, transferred credits, and finished in two years. The key lies in American regional accreditation, which carries more international weight than Spanish degrees. Others settle for self-management: using ChatGPT for assignments at UOC or taking direct courses on platforms like Coursera.
The uncomfortable question
But the underlying debate is not about UNED, but about what 70% of young Spaniards seek in a university: a degree that allows them to sit for civil service exams (oposiciones). As long as the goal is public service, teaching quality will remain secondary. UNED survives because it is cheap and provides the necessary credentials for these exams. Until that scheme changes, it won't matter if the teaching is stuck in the Silurian period.
Related debates in the forum
- CIVIL SERVANTS HAVE EVERYTHING... INTELLIGENCE... TIME AND MONEY!!! · 17 replies
- The end of civil service exams? · 248 replies
- Engineering enrollment in Spain collapses by almost half · 290 replies
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (102 replies).
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