The Bologna process is the result of the work developed by 29 European countries in 1999. Its aim is to promote the European system of higher education by the creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). This way, academic degree standards and quality assurance standards are being established in order to create a flexible and homogenous educational system. This system will allow students, graduate professionals and academics to increase mobility and employability both inside systems (at institutional and national level) and internationally. This challenge will be possible by the implementation of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) a tool for recognising credit for learning and for comparing the study attainment and performance of students of higher education across the European Union. The ECTS is a student-centred system based on “the student workload required to achieve the objectives of a programme, objectives preferably specified in terms of the learning outcomes and competences to be acquired” (Harvey, L., 2004, Analytic Quality Glossary, Quality Research International, http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/) In this context, it is very important to take into account a process of teaching and learning that involves all the strategies which teachers ensure the learning among the students. Nowadays, some of these strategies are increasingly related to the electronic and blended learning; both of them allow students to learn by the use of electronic technologies, but in the case of blended learning, the virtual resources are combined with physical ones (face-to-face approaches). To implement electronic and blended learning, university teachers need to develop some teaching competences that guarantee students learning. Bearing this in mind, we want to know the main e-learning and b-learning practices that university teachers from some Spanish universities are carrying out. Specifically, we intend to analyze the strategies, the resources and the instruments that these teachers implement or that their universities forward them to promote meaningful learning. From this analysis it is expected to identify those felt necessities of training that university teachers have within the new learning conception, promoted by EHEA. We believe that changes in education field become from the real actors placed in their own context. Their voices, their feelings, their experiences are the key for a possible change. Our research questions are: 1. Which are the universities experiences related to b-learning and e-learning modalities in Spain? How do universities give support to teachers in order to promote learning among students by b-learning and e-learning modalities? Which are the main teachers competences related to e and be learning that can promote learning? Which are the most important necessities of teacher training in this field bearing in mind the EHEA?

We adopted a qualitative perspective, particularly a multiple-case study (Stake, 1999). We consider, as Yin (1994) affirms, that case studies implies an empiric research that studies the phenomenon inside its real environment. The value of this kind of method lies in the deep study of the phenomenon within its natural setting. The data is being gathered in ten different universities from Spain during the second semester of the 2007-2008 academic year. Specifically, our sample is constituted by university teachers who are carrying out virtual learning processes (electronic and blended learning). We conceive university teachers as the principal resources of information. Moreover, their voices, their conceptions, their practice reflections would allow us to know and comprehend their virtual teaching reality. Data Collection Being coherent with the qualitative framework and the case study method and to achieve triangulation of the findings, we are using several data sources, as follows: a) Content and documental analysis b) In-depth teachers' interviews c) Focus groups and d) On line questionnaires Data Analysis All taped interviews, focus groups are being transcribed; this information plus the data that is being getting from questionnaires and institutional analysis is being analyzed through an inductive method. Particularly, we are using the constant comparative method (Strauss and Corbin, 1990). This method is well –suited to our purposes and research reality. We will go across from an inductive category coding and simultaneous comparing of units of meaning, refinement of categories, exploration of relationship and patterns to the integration of data yielding, an understanding what kind , where and why some university teachers carry out particulars virtual teaching practices. Content analysis allows discovering categories and macro categories and their interrelationships from textual database in order to propose a theory developed from the conceptualization of data.

Assuming that this research is currently in progress we will only present some expected outcomes. From this research process we expect to achieve a diagnosis of the main e-learning and b-learning initiatives that university professors are carrying out in Spain. Specifically, we expect to analyse how these initiatives promote meaningful learning. In addition, we are looking forward to achieve a map of competences of Spanish university teachers concerning the practice of e-learning and b-learning. Finally, we will propose some university teacher training orientations within this reality. (This paper is base on a research called “ Analysis and university teachers competence proposals to promote the develop of significant student learning through e-learning and b-learning practices, inside EHEA framework”. Main researcher: Imbernon Francisco. Other researches from Barcelona’s University: Carnicero Paulino, Bartolomé Antonio, Medina José Luis, Jarauta Beatriz, González Juan José, Guzmán Carolina, Cruz Lorena, Prats María del Mar, Silva Patricia, Mentado Trinidad and Bozu Zoia Besides, the research is subsidized by funds from the Educative Ministry of Spain (MEC) and ten more universities from Spain take part of it: Barcelona Autonomous’ University, Málaga’s University, Sevilla`s University, Huelva`s University, Alcalá de Henares’ University, Madrid European University, Islas Baleares’ University, and Deusto`s University.)