Evaluation of transversal competencies: pilot project in a maths course for first-year business

Abstract

The aim of this communication is to describe the results of a pilot project for the assessment of the transversal competency "the capacity for learning and responsibility". This competency is centred on the capacity for the analysis, synthesis, overview, and practical application of newly acquired knowledge. It is proposed by the University of Barcelona in its undergraduate degree courses, through multidisciplinary teaching teams. The goal of the pilot project is to evaluate this competency. We worked with a group of students in a first-year Business Degree maths course, during the first semester of the 2012/2013 academic year. The development of the project was in two stages: (i) design of a specific task to share with the same students in the following semester when the subject would be economic history; and (ii) the elaboration of an evaluation rubric in which we defined the content, the aspects to evaluate, the evaluation criteria, and the marking scale. The attainment of the expectations of quality on the specific task was scored following this rubric, which provided a single basis for the precise and fair assessment by the instructor and for the students' own self-evaluation. We conclude by describing the main findings of the experience. There particularly stood out the high score in the students' self-evaluation given to one aspect of the competency – their capacity for learning – in stark contrast to their instructor's quite negative evaluation. This means that we have to work both to improve teaching practice and to identify the optimal competency evaluation methodology.