XVIII th Winter School “Robert Roe and Bernhard Wilpert” of the Erasmus Mundus Master in Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology (Feb, 2025)

The in-person phase of the 18th edition of the Joint Intensive Learning Unit of the Erasmus Mundus Master’s in Work, Organizational, and Personnel Psychology (WOP-P) concluded on Friday, February 21st. Carme Melo Escarihuela, Director of the Gandia International Center at the University of Valencia, which has hosted the Winter School for the past 15 editions, was attending the closing ceremony.

The Winter School is a key learning experience within the Erasmus Mundus WOP-P Master’s program, designed to foster global competence and the digitalization of transversal skills in students. Running from November to March, it provides a dynamic and collaborative environment where participants deepen their theoretical knowledge, develop practical skills, work in an international context, and receive mentorship from experts. It also serves as a platform for professional networking and cultural exchange. Following a student-centered approach, the program encourages active participation with a key focus on collaborative work in culturally diverse teams, enhancing their ability to navigate and contribute to global work environments while integrating both online and face-to-face learning environments. The Winter School is structured around active methodologies, such as Design Thinking, a problem-solving approach that tackles real-world challenges by considering people´s needs, leveraging existing knowledge, and optimizing intervention design. By applying these methodologies within the field of Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology, the Winter School creates a rich and engaging learning experience that prepares students with the skills needed for future professional challenges in a globalized world.

During the XVIIIth edition of the WS, there were 44 participants representing the four consortium universities—Universitat de València, Universidade de Coimbra, Universitat de Barcelona, and Alma Mater University of Bologna—as well as partner institutions such as Illinois Institute of Technology, Florida Institute of Technology,
University of Brasília, University of Puerto Rico, University of Guelph, and University of Limerick. The students came from a diverse range of nationalities, including Brazil, Germany, the Philippines, Canada, Ecuador, Pakistan, Turkey, Portugal, South Korea, Serbia, Romania, Indonesia, Greece, Spain, Kenya, Italy, the United Kingdom, Kosovo, China, Belgium, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, and Bangladesh.

Over 14 days, students worked in 10 teams to develop an intervention project in the field of Work, Organizational, and Human Resources Psychology, supported by renowned professors Frez Zijlstra (Maastricht University, Netherlands), Rob Briner (Queen Mary University of London, UK), Richard Griffith (Florida Institute of Technology, USA), Dirk Steiner (University of Côte d’Azur, France), Marisa Salanova (Universitat Jaume I, Spain), Salvatore Zappalà (University of Bologna, Italy), Vicente González-Romá (University of Valencia, Spain) and Leonor Pais (University of Coimbra, Portugal). The coordination team from the University of Valencia consisted of José M. Peiró, Carolina Moliner, Mario Martínez-Córcoles, and Isabel Rodríguez.

Throughout this in-person phase, special moments were dedicated to honoring Robert Roe and Bernhard Wilpert, whose invaluable contributions shaped the design of this learning unit within the Erasmus Mundus WOP-P Master’s, leaving a legacy through their knowledge, guidance, and commitment to fostering critical thinking in organizational psychology.

This edition was characterized by an outstanding atmosphere of collaboration and support among students. Their enthusiasm and dedication were evident in their daily activities, throughout the development of their projects, and especially during the final intervention project presentations. Now, students are entering the final phase of the Winter School, which consists of an individual stage focused on content integration and external communication.

On behalf of the Winter School coordination team, we want to express our gratitude for their excellent participation in the XVIII edition of the Winter School “Robert Roe & Bernhard Wilpert”. We would also like to extend our best wishes for success to all participants as they embark on their internships and prepare for their master’s thesis defense.