The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the Spanish version of the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (Sp-DELES). This instrument assesses students’ perceptions of virtual learning environments using six scales: Instructor Support, Student Interaction and Collaboration, Personal Relevance, Authentic Learning, Active Learning, and Autonomy. Further, the Sp-DELES includes an additional scale that assesses students’ Satisfaction with their classes. The original DELES has been used in at least 27 independent studies with strong reliability and validity. For this study, we sampled 265 students from the University of Alicante enrolled in various hybrid and distance education courses taught by the Department of Health Psychology. We analysed the Sp-DELES for validity using principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation, and for reliability using Cronbach’s alpha. The Sp-DELES exhibited good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha for the scales ranging from 0.86 to 0.97) and the original six-factor structure was replicated and accounted for 72.9 % of the total variance. Overall the results are consistent with those of the original English-language version of the instrument. The Sp-DELES has proven to be a reliable and valid instrument for assessing psychosocial learning environments in tertiary-level hybrid and distance-education settings.

Validation of a Spanish version of the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) in Spain

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the body of knowledge about project-based learning (PBL) methodology in higher education by describing and analysing interrelations between competencies, and their contribution to knowledge transfer (KT) and students’ rating of the project. The sample consisted of 464 students from the Universities of Huelva (N = 347; 74.8%) and Murcia (N = 117; 25.2%), enrolled in the second year of a degree in either Infant or Primary Education. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire comprising a total of 53 items measuring general, specific, and transversal competencies, as well as students’ rating of the project. Competencies were selected from the course programmes for the degrees in Infant and Primary Education. Preliminary results showed that competencies were moderately to highly acquired after PBL, and that students reported notable KT as well as a positive assessment of the project. KT showed a high degree of association with students’ ratings and was established as a key factor in learning and learner satisfaction in higher education.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/23/10062/pdf

Project-Based Learning and the Acquisition of Competencies and Knowledge Transfer in Higher Education

Es imprescindible implicar al alumnado en la evaluacion para fomentar su aprendizaje. La modalidad participativa mas desconocida es la coevaluacion o evaluacion compartida. Teniendo en consideracion el uso polisemico del concepto coevaluacion en espanol, en este estudio se entiende como aquella evaluacion negociada entre docentes y estudiantes donde la responsabilidad es compartida y en la que es imprescindible el dialogo. En la literatura especifica se destaca que esta modalidad favorece el aprendizaje autonomo y la autorregulacion. Para contrastar con la realidad las consecuencias de la evaluacion compartida se ha desarrollado una experiencia que implico a 192 estudiantes universitarios de primer curso durante tres anos academicos. Tras su implantacion, se realizo un estudio descriptivo mediante un cuestionario on-line para analizar la potencialidad para el aprendizaje, comprobar el grado de satisfaccion del alumnado y conocer los aspectos positivos y negativos que detectaron los estudiantes. En los resultados se puede comprobar la elevada satisfaccion del alumnado con la coevaluacion. Los participantes consideran que la mayor potencialidad para el aprendizaje proviene de la importancia de la retroalimentacion que se ofrece, ya que permite ser mas conscientes de los errores y aprender de ellos. Igualmente, otros elementos positivos detectados fueron la colaboracion y la comunicacion entre docente y estudiantes, asi como la formacion sobre el proceso de evaluacion. Es imprescindible continuar con la implantacion e indagacion de evaluaciones basadas en el dialogo y en compartir significados en el contexto universitario, que permitan a los estudiantes mejorar sus aprendizajes y a los docentes optimizar y flexibilizar sus estrategias de ensenanza.Palabras Clave: Evaluacion educativa, Evaluacion de estudiantes, Evaluacion formativa, Educacion Superior, Relacion de docentes y estudiantes, Evaluacion alternativa, Coevaluacion.Co-assessment in Higher Education: The Perception of First-year StudentsParticipative assessment strategies such as self-assessment, peer assessment and co-assessment enhance student learning. Co-assessment is the least known participative strategy. Considering the polysemous use of the word co-assessment in the Spanish literature in this study the concept is defined and understood as a teacher-student negotiated assessment where the responsibility of assessment is shared and dialogue is key. Co-assessment promotes self-regulated and autonomous learning according to the specific literature. To analyse the consequences of co-assessment a three-year study involving 192 first-year students was implemented. An on-line survey was applied to analyse the learning potentialities of co-assessment, students’ satisfaction with the experience and the positive and negative aspects perceived. The results show high student satisfaction. Most participants consider a learning potentiality the importance of the feedback provided when implementing co-assessment since it allows them to find out their mistakes and learn from them. Likewise, other positive aspects mentioned include the collaboration and communication established among teachers and students and an increasing of assessment literacy. The authors of the study believe it is important to continue with the implementation and research of dialogue-based assessment practices and in sharing meanings in Higher Education, which might allow students to enhance their learning and teachers to optimise and increase the adaptability of their teaching and learning strategies.Keywords: Educational assessment, Student evaluation, Formative evaluation, Higher education, Teacher student relationship, Alternative assessment, Co-assessment.

/pdf/coevaluacion-o-evaluacion-compartida-en-el-contexto-1ndjewvvwh.pdf

Coevaluación o Evaluación Compartida en el Contexto Universitario: La Percepción del Alumnado de Primer Curso

The main purpose of this article focuses on identifying specific Information and Communication Technologies skills, particularly those related to web pages and e-mail, useful in the implementation of Guidance functions and tasks. To this end, it was designed a competence map overlaid on those of a technological and coach and also produces a matrix that considered seven areas of focus grouped by International Association Educational and Vocational Guidance: evaluation, educational guidance, career development, counselling, information management, research and evaluation and placement. It also took into account three types of approaches to the counsellor regarding the use of ICT in guidance, as a resource, medium and development of guidance materials and two of these tools (websites and e-mail). The effective integration of Information and Communication Technologies and effective use of them, by guidance professional is based on their competences in them. This resource, open and flexible, requires a continuous updating in order to be useful in the implementation of guidance tasks, in self-assessment of competence by professionals; diagnosis of deficits in the design, planning and development training and guidance actions. It is also an instrument of great relevance and usefulness to guidance practitioners to explore the training needs and their occupational profile and to motivate their professional development.

/pdf/planificacion-y-desarrollo-de-un-mapa-de-habilidades-tic-en-5b686r06u1.pdf

Planificación y desarrollo de un mapa de habilidades TIC en Orientación

The objective of this research is to analyze a system the aim of which is to encourage the participation of students based on critical reflection. The method consists mainly of presenting material in the classroom to be constructively criticized by the students and assigning the task of noting down the participation by at least two randomly selected students. It is a relatively objective system of evaluating participation. The methodology is based on a mixed method, qualitative-quantitative. Participant observation together with a survey of 507 students was used, with a response rate of 55% of the students. 66% consider that students’ critical capacity must be developed in a high or very high degree (compared to 9% in low or very low degree) and 51% agree in a high o very high degree with the rotating system of recording the student’s participation in class (compared to 19% in a low or very low degree). There is a significant association between the size of the class group and the grade obtained in participation (r = -0.96), with worse scores in the most numerous groups. It is surprising that students with low participation (from 0 to 3 interventions) are the most numerous group, with 42.2%. It reflects that the method has excluded or  almost excluded a very high percentage of students. If you add the average and high participation, the method works more or less well for a majority of students, the 58.2%, but we must make the maximum  effort to integrate the large group of excluded people.

https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/6977314.pdf

Fomentar la participación en clase de los estudiantes universitarios y evaluarla

El articulo presenta un recurso virtual disenado para la formacion y el asesoramiento al profesoradouniversitario: la 'Plataforma FORCOM - Formacion por Competencias' Se describe el contenido de lamisma y se presentan parte de los resultados del proceso de validacion a que ha sido sometida con dosgrupos de profesores/as de la Universidad de Sevilla Los resultados indican que debe ser sometida a unproceso de rediseno, tanto en su formato (interface, acceso a contenidos, ubicacion de menus,homogenizacion de iconos, etc) como en su contenido (cobertura de areas y titulaciones), incorporandoelementos motivacionales e instrucciones/sugerencias de uso

Plataforma FORCOM, un recurso virtual de ayuda para el profesorado universitario.

https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/3756407.pdf

Análisis de la participación del alumnado universitario en la evaluación de su aprendizaje

En el presente articulo encontraremos una breve justificacion de la necesidad de orientacion en el nivel mas alto del sistema educativo, para pasar, posteriormente, a explicar dos programas de orientacion universitaria, «Magallanes» y «Simus», desarrollados por el Grupo de Investigacion MIDO de la Universidad de Sevilla, los cuales, se engloban dentro del modelo tecnologico de la orientacion, es decir, toman como formato las nuevas tecnologias para desarrollar la accion orientadora.

/pdf/tecnologias-al-servicio-de-la-orientacion-y-de-apoyo-al-5f73rlobp6.pdf

Tecnologías al servicio de la orientación y de apoyo al aprendizaje

In Spain, the issue of unemployment or precarious employment worsen with globalization, leading to an expansion of the so-called working poor in the labour market. According to previous literature, the economic poverty that is characteristic of this group may accompany poverty competency. In particular, the working poor resort to informal and poorly developed job-search strategies. This study addresses the job search methods used by people at risk of poverty and social exclusion. It provides evidence on the subject and serves as a basis for the adaptation of socio-labour intermediation programmes to this group. The hypothesis of this study is that people at high risk will predominantly use informal strategies that require a low level of job-search skills. A survey-based correlational study is conducted using a questionnaire completed by 279 people participating in socio-labour intermediation programmes developed by the Action against Hunger Foundation (AaHF) in Spain. Information on poverty indicators and on job-search strategies is collected. Data are analysed through cluster analysis, which distinguish two groups of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion (high risk and low risk), followed by a comparison of means (t-test) with a subsequent calculation of effect size using Cohen's d. Results show statistically significant differences with a medium effect size (between 0.45 and 0.50) for the typology of job-search strategies used, confirming the initial hypothesis. These results offer relevant information that should be considered when developing programmes aimed at improving social and labour issues for people at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

Job-search strategies of individuals at risk of poverty and social exclusion in Spain.

INTRODUCTION. This empirical study deals with the perception that university students have about the acquisition of professional competence by means of project-based learning (PBL). Our concept of PBL fits within authentic learning environments whereby students working in teams learn to investigate projects which are geared towards their future as professionals. METHOD. In oder to collect data about students’ opinions regarding the PBL methodology, we administered an anonymous online questionnaire with 30 questions. The questionnaire was administered at the end of the training process, just before students saw their final overall result, as a control measure to avoid bias in responses. Our data came from a sample of 212 participating students during the years 2006-2013, belonging to the BA Degree in Psychopedagogy at the University of Seville (Spain). Descriptive (percentages, means and standard deviations) and inferential (Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test and effect size) analyses were employed on the data provided by the closed questions, whereas content analysis (category system and Kappa concordance coefficient) was thought more adequate for open questions. RESULTS. Respondents perceive the PBL as a formidable methodology which contributes towards improving students’ learning, their level of involvement, and the acquisition of competences, presenting itself as more appropriate than other methodological systems, and suitable for university settings. This perspective predominates significantly among those who are motivated by the desire to learn, as opposed to those who are interested only in passing the subject. DISCUSSION. The key finding of this study, supported by our data, demonstrates that PBL considers the student as a professional in training, and thus, anticipating the type of work that the student will be doing in the future. We concluded that the PBL method leads to the establishment of competence in professional action at the university in significant ways, especially when compared with other traditional methods of instruction.

/pdf/aportaciones-del-metodo-abp-en-la-consecucion-de-2ozjjjzbcu.pdf

Javier Rodríguez Santero

Papers

Plataforma FORCOM, un recurso virtual de ayuda para el profesorado universitario.

Análisis de la participación del alumnado universitario en la evaluación de su aprendizaje

Tecnologías al servicio de la orientación y de apoyo al aprendizaje

Job-search strategies of individuals at risk of poverty and social exclusion in Spain.

Aportaciones del método abp en la consecución de competencias de acción profesional