Process of integration and evaluation of generic skills in the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

Abstract

In April 2008, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) approved the document Marc per al disseny i la implantació dels plans d’estudis de grau (Framework for the Design and Implementation of Undergraduate Curricula), which establishes a set of methodological and assessment guidelines that should be taken on board in current university teaching. It also stipulates the introduction of seven generic competencies in all undergraduate degrees and explores how they might be incorporated into degree curricula to guarantee that students acquire them. Four of these generic competencies (self-directed learning, team work, effective use of information resources, and oral and written communication) are transferrable across degree courses, two (entrepreneurship and innovation, and sustainability and social commitment) are hallmarks of the UPC and the last (foreign language) is established by law. In this paper, we aim to shed light on an experience that brings together various support initiatives that may be of use to other universities wishing to provide their teaching staff and management teams with guidelines, policy frameworks and tools for the integration, development and assessment of competencies in a way that is consistent with their teaching models and with the European Higher Education Area.

Keywords

• competencias genéricas
• evaluación
• calificación