The evaluation of working through projects by students: a study based on an university innovation project

Abstract

This paper focuses on an Innovation Teaching Project in the University of Cadiz during the academic year 2014/15. This project consisted of applying a work methodology by projects to all groups of students in third grade of Early Childhood Education Teachers. In this way, we used a sample of 123 participants. Two factors were measured: programming by projects contents and key competences by university students in Early Childhood Education and the university teaching La evaluación del trabajo por proyectos por los estudiantes: un estudio a partir de un proyecto de innovación docente innovation as key factor in the learning of students. The results showed a positive attitude by the students towards the measured factors. In addition, students putted the emphasis on strategies of cooperative learning or the teaching innovation as key factors of teaching (Sancho; Burundian; Apodaca; Lobato; San José and Zubimendi, 2010; Pegalajar and Colmenero, 2013). Furthermore, the participants showed the importance of the feedback in the teaching-learning process and the autonomy in the management by tasks in this work methodology. This research displayed the necessity of an adequate teaching coordination to carry out this methodology by projects and the benefits of self-assessment for students and for the external evaluators to evaluate cooperative learning team.

Keywords

• trabajo por proyectos
• educación infantil
• innovación docente universitaria
• formación de maestros