Promotion of learning skills in the study of economics. pilot project in the subject area of

Abstract

This communication is part of a larger teaching innovation project financed by the University of Barcelona, whose objective is to develop and evaluate transversal competences of the UB, learning ability and responsibility. The competence is divided into several sub-competencies being the ability to analyze and synthesis the most intensely worked in the first year. The work presented here part from the results obtained in phase 1 and 2 previously implemented in other subjects (Mathematics and History) in the first year of the degree of Business Administration Degree. In these subjects’ previous experiences there were deficiencies in the acquisition of learning skills by the students. The work in the subject of Mathematics facilitated that students become aware of the deficit. The work on the subject of History insisted on developing readings schemes and with the practical exercises was sought to go deeply in the development of this competence. The third phase presented here is developed in the framework of the second year degree, in the World Economy subject. The objective of this phase is the development and evaluation of the same cross competence of the previous phases, from a practice that includes both, quantitative analysis and critical reflection. Specifically the practice focuses on the study of the dynamic relationship between economic growth and the dynamics in the distribution of wealth. The activity design as well as the selection of materials to make it, has been directed to address gaps in the ability to analyze and synthesize detected in the subjects of the first year in the previous phases of the project. The realization of the practical case is considered adequate methodology to improve the acquisition of competence of the students, then it is also proposed how to evaluate the acquisition of such competence. The practice is evaluated based on a rubric developed in the framework of the project objectives. Thus at the end of phase 3 we can analyze the process that have followed the students, detect where they have had major difficulties and identify those aspects of teaching that can help to improve the acquisition of skills by the students. The interest of this phase resides in the possibility to value whether tracing of learning through competences, organized in a collaborative way, is a good tool to develop the acquisition of these skills and facilitate their evaluation.