A teachers’ based approach to assessing the perception of critical thinking in Education university students based on their age and gender

In the 21st century, critical thinking (CT) is regularly presented as one of the most important competences to be developed by a majority of educational institutions. Teachers are expected to change and enrich their teaching and learning methodologies so that students could face future challenges. Nonetheless, few are the instruments that measure the perception of critical thinking based on teachers’ conception. The aim of this study is to design and validate an instrument for the assessment of CT in university students based on the conception of CT that university teachers have. For this study, a total of 312 Spanish university students have participated. Based on a good model fit from a Confirmatory Factor Analysis and good reliability indices, the results provide strength to the theoretical model to evaluate critical thinking in university students formed by six dimensions (Analyzing/Organizing; Reasoning/Argumenting; Questioning/Asking oneself; Evaluating; Positioning /Taking decisions, and Acting /Committing oneself) and 42 items. Similarly, age was not a predictor variable for the different dimensions; while gender was statistically in favor of women in some of the dimensions, and tendentially, the dimension of Positioning/Taking decisions, in favor of men. However, despite these differences, the model guaranteed its factorial invariance. These findings have important pedagogical implications for universities in particular, and educational institutions in general, when developing curricula and teaching plans that focus on the development of students’ critical thinking.The publication has been funded by eDucaR research team through the University of Deusto/Basque Government Contract-Programme

Methodologies for Fostering Critical Thinking Skills from University Students’ Points of View

Developing critical thinking skills appears to be a challenge for higher education institutions. However, little is known about the students’ points of view regarding the methodologies they consider to foster the development of this competence. To answer this question, a total of 263 Spanish university students participated in this study and were asked what they understood by critical thinking and the methodologies they considered to be the most effective for developing it. The results indicated that, based on students’ points of view, there were six methodologies that mainly contributed to developing critical thinking: Debates, project-based learning, practices in real contexts, doing research, cooperative learning, and case studies. These results were unanimous regardless of the student’s understanding of critical thinking: Analyzing/organizing, reasoning/arguing, questioning/asking oneself, evaluating, taking a position/taking a decision, compromising/acting. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications for teachers and educational institutions in relation to the development of critical thinking in higher education.The APC was funded by eDucaR research team through the University of Deusto/Basque Government Contract-Programme

A model for the evaluation of competence-based learning implementation in higher education institutions: Criteria and indicators

Almost twenty years after the Bologna Declaration was signed, the extent to which universities are embracing competence-based learning is a topic of much interest. This article presents a comprehensive model for the analysis of the implementation of competence-based learning (CBL) in Higher Education. An extensive bibliographic review was carried out on the concept of competence-based learning and on each of its constituent elements, with a view to proposing a model made up of seven dimensions and a set of evaluation criteria and indicators. The areas reviewed were the legal and administrative context, the institutional context, the degree programme planning process (including the individual modules/subjects within it), teaching practices and their assessment, and the review and improvement of the overall process. This explanatory model can be very useful to universities, particularly from Spain and Latin America, for assessing their level of implementation of competence-based learning, and identifying their strengths and areas for development.Received: 11 April 2019Accepted: 20 May 2019Published online: 29 May 2019</p

Gestión del conocimiento. Perspectiva multidisciplinaria. Volumen 9

El libro “Gestión del Conocimiento. Perspectiva Multidisciplinaria”, volumen 9, de la Colección Unión Global, es resultado de investigaciones. Los capítulos del libro, son resultados de investigaciones desarrolladas por sus autores. El libro es una publicación internacional, seriada, continua, arbitrada de acceso abierto a todas las áreas del conocimiento, que cuenta con el esfuerzo de investigadores de varios países del mundo, orientada a contribuir con procesos de gestión del conocimiento científico, tecnológico y humanístico que consoliden la transformación del conocimiento en diferentes escenarios, tanto organizacionales como universitarios, para el desarrollo de habilidades cognitivas del quehacer diario. La gestión del conocimiento es un camino para consolidar una plataforma en las empresas públicas o privadas, entidades educativas, organizaciones no gubernamentales, ya sea generando políticas para todas las jerarquías o un modelo de gestión para la administración, donde es fundamental articular el conocimiento, los trabajadores, directivos, el espacio de trabajo, hacia la creación de ambientes propicios para el desarrollo integral de las instituciones

Las competencias : instrumento para un cambio de paradigma

Se estudia el rol de las competencias en la enseñanza. Se estudia la manera en que las competencias cobran sentido en el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior. Se analiza la manera en que se imparte la docencia actualmente y las competencias que tienen alumnos y profesores. Se expone que sería recomendable avanzar hacia un sistema educativo en el que el alumno sea el responsable de aprender y el papel del profesor sea facilitar al alumno los conocimientos. Para lograr esto se expone la manera en que cree que deberían de organizarse los recursos para el desarrollo de las competencias en el ámbito educativo.La RiojaES

Practicum and assessment of competences

The article highlights the role of Practicum in the development of skills that allow the transfer of knowledge to work situations, consistent with the approach of the European Higher Education Convergence Process. He points out the key elements of a Practicum, the meaning and meaning that the competences acquire in him and the meaning he charges as an ideal space to evaluate them. Consequently, they suggest ideas aimed at guiding the way to incorporate the evaluation of competencies in the evaluation of the Practicum

Practicum y evaluación de competencias

El artículo destaca el papel del Practicum en el desarrollo de competencias que permitan la transferencia de conocimientos a situaciones de trabajo, en congruencia con el enfoque del Proceso de Convergencia Europea de Educación Superior. Señala los elementos clave de un Practicum, el sentido y significado que en él adquieren las competencias y el significado que cobra como espacio ideal para evaluarlas. En consecuencia, sugieren ideas dirigidas a orientar el modo de incorporar la evaluación de competencias en la evaluación del Practicum

SEBSCO, una experiencia alternativa para evaluar competencias

SEBSCO, an alternative for assessing competencies. As implement and develop new curricula required by the rules adopted to achieve progress in the Bologna Declaration, it shows that the euphemistic name of paradigm shift, which someone predicted, has gone from being euphemistic to being real. To operated the Based Learning Competencies model (A.B.C.) it is insufficient to perform the �cut� and �paste� from the Goals to Skills, like someone interpreted, triing not to frighten the staff. So they did�nt get nothing else that confuse and / or contribute to the resistance to change. This communication proposes a way of assessment and learning competencies, once you have made the leap to the new paradigm. It is obvious that organizational changes are needed to promote such practices (Poblete and García, 2007). And also that must not �abandon� the teacher on their own, but accompany, facilitate, encourage, and (why not?) recognize (tangible and intangible ways) hours of work added by the paradigm change adaptation and implementation.A medida que se implantan y desarrollan los nuevos Planes de Estudio exigidos por las normas adoptadas para lograr avanzar en la Declaración de Bolonia, se pone en evidencia que la denominación eufemista de cambio de paradigma, que algunos vaticinaban, ha pasado de eufemista a ser real. Para poner en funcionamiento el modelo de Aprendizaje Basado en Competencias (A.B.C.) es insuficiente realizar el �corta� y �pega� desde los Objetivos a las Competencias, como algunos interpretaban. Con eso no hicieron nada más que confundirle y/o favorecer la resistencia al cambio. En esta comunicación se plantea una forma de Aprender y Evaluar competencias, una vez que se ha dado el salto al nuevo paradigma. Es evidente que se necesitan cambios organizativos para favorecer este tipo de prácticas (Poblete y García, 2007). Que no hay que �abandonar� al profesor a su suerte, sino acompañarle, facilitarle, motivarle y ¿por qué no? reconocer (de forma tangible e intangible) las horas de trabajo añadido que supone la adaptación al cambio de paradigma y la aplicación del mismo

Practicum y evaluación de competencias

El artículo destaca el papel del Practicum en el desarrollo de competencias que permitan la transferencia de conocimientos a situaciones de trabajo, en congruencia con el enfoque del Proceso de Convergencia Europea de Educación Superior. Señala los elementos clave de un Practicum, el sentido y significado que en él adquieren las competencias y el significado que cobra como espacio ideal para evaluarlas. En consecuencia, sugieren ideas dirigidas a orientar el modo de incorporar la evaluación de competencias en la evaluación del Practicum