This panel presents an overview of the pedagogical model offering of the Winter School. By presenting this multi-voiced and experience-based panel, we aim to share how innovative educational design can prepare future psychologists to address complex organizational problems in globalized contexts. Each presenter contributes with a different perspective to the understanding of the Winter School's educational model. The panel will include an interview with Professor Jose Mª Peiró as a central figure in the design and implementation of the Winter School.
Presentation 1: Competency-Based and Experiential Learning Design in the WOP-P Winter School.This presentation focus the pedagogical architecture of the Winter School within the Erasmus Mundus WOP-P Master. Based in experiential learning, problem-based instruction, and competency-based education, the program aims to bridge academic knowledge with professional intervention practice to develop core professional competencies: intervention design, contextual diagnosis, stakeholder analysis, ethical decision-making, and evidence-based reasoning. The in-residence phase acts as a learning laboratory where multicultural student teams engage with organizational problems, using rapid evidence assessment techniques and interdisciplinary frameworks. This presentation explains how the Winter School's design aligns with international standards for applied psychology training and how it supports the development of cross-cutting competencies required in contemporary organizational practice.
Presentation 2: The core values of the Winter School and the Intercultural Collaboration and Virtual Teamwork Competencies in an International Training Environment. This presentation examines the international and intercultural dimensions of the Winter School as an intentional pedagogical strategy grounded in the core values of the WOP-P Master. Students from multiple continents representing diverse academic backgrounds, cultural perspectives, and professional expectations form collaborative teams for designing organizational interventions. The presentation explores challenges and opportunities inherent in multicultural teamwork. The Winter School's design intentionally pushes students beyond their comfort zones, fostering resilience, adaptability, ethical decision-making, and collaborative problem solving. By integrating intercultural collaboration with explicit value-based professional development, the Winter School becomes a unique international training environment that prepares students for the behavioral, ethical, and relational complexities of contemporary global organizational practice.
Presentation 3: Design thinking methodology applied to WOP-psychologist. This presentation refers to design thinking methodology applied to WOP-Psychology. A human-centered approach aimed at understanding, designing, and improving processes, experiences, and solutions within organizations. It draws on design principles and psychological knowledge of human behavior at work, integrating creative and structured methods to address complex problems while integrating the real needs of employees, leaders, and teams at the core. The resulting solutions are grounded in psychological evidence and in people lived experiences.
Presentation 4: From Classroom to Practice: Professional Socialization Through "Peer-Led Activities". This presentation focuses on the integration and socialization components of the Winter School, and student initiatives. By offering informal, dialogic spaces, the activity encourages open discussion on employability, ethical dilemmas, organizational challenges, and early-career transitions. The Winter School encourages bottom-up proposals for community-building activities, which promotes well-being, social connection, and work-life balance. This presentation argues that these integration activities are not peripheral but central to the Winter School's developmental value, as they enhance motivation, psychological safety, and readiness for workforce transition.
Presentation 5: Learning by Immersion: Behavioral Expectations and Experiential Challenges in the Winter School. This presentation describes the behavioral expectations of the Winter School's in-residence phase. During two weeks of full-day teamwork, students engage in collaborative tasks, and interact continuously with peers and faculty. This deliberate immersion mirrors real organizational conditions, requiring professionalism, intercultural sensitivity, responsibility, and sustained engagement. Students are encouraged to demonstrate citizenship behaviors, active participation, and resilience. This presentation explains how the immersive context enhances learning outcomes, providing a unique environment where interpersonal, emotional, and professional competencies develop in parallel with technical skills.