This contribution explains an innovative education project that was implemented in the course on Development Politics, within the Degree of Global Studies at the University of Salamanca. In this course we put a strong focus on how development projects could contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in challenging contexts.

This teaching innovation project is inspired by two principles. On the one hand, to apply research to teaching and learning. On the other hand, to offer students a learning experience based on the actual functioning of the process of design, implementation, and evaluation of public policies. To this end, we combine case study-based learning with problem-based learning so that students can experience first-hand what it is like to design, implement, evaluate and, ultimately, advise on public policy for development.

In this contribution we present the practical component of the research project, in which students participated in two different activities. During the 10 weeks devoted to the study of specific sectors, the students worked in groups of 4 to 5 people, randomly assigned, so that each student represented at the same time a technical (health, education, etc.) and a political profile (one of the political groups of the European Parliament). In other words, they worked in thematic groups according to their "technical specialty", but without forgetting the political group to which they "belong". Then, as a closing activity of the term, the students participated in a "parliamentary session". In this session they discussed how to distribute a limited budget allocation to different development projects. At this point they were faced with the challenge of combining the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired throughout the term with the incentives or barriers defined by their political "color". Through this exercise, they were able to experience first-hand the difficulties involved in the decision-making process and the complexity of reaching agreements, especially when it comes to allocating resources to projects that aim to solve environmental problems and urgent social needs.

The results suggest that the project helped the students achieve the intended learning objectives. furthermore, the students expressed a high level of satisfaction with the activity and suggested that it be continued in the future. They also raised possible improvements that we will consider when we reapply this methodology in the future. In this way, the students have not only taken an active role in their own learning but have also played a fundamental role in improving the teaching and learning methodologies within the framework of this course.