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This paper addresses the process of creation and implementation of the subject "Communication towards Equality" at the University Jaume I in Spain, within the new European Higher Education Area (EHEA) framework. The purpose of the paper is to present this experience of University teaching reform as a potential guideline for the implementation of equality in other programs. The EHEA offered challenges and possibilities for University reforms, which included the implementation of capacity-building for students. At the communication programs of our University, the curriculum has included issues of gender equality, aimed at training future professionals towards citizen empowerment. The paper is organized around three sections. First, we present the legal and epistemological framework that sustains our experience. This includes an overview of legal regulations (EHEA, Spanish and international laws) and a revision of the epistemological and methodological background, mainly based on Critical Theory and Pedagogy on communication for social change. Second, we unfold the subject "Communication towards Equality" with its main contents and methodologies. Finally, we draw some reflections on its two years of implementation and the implications for training undergraduate students in communications for social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Educación XX1 is the property of Editorial UNED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Educación XX1 is the property of Editorial UNED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The competence evaluation promoted by the European High Education Area entails a very important methodological change that requires guiding support to help lecturers carry out this new and complex task. In this regard, the Technical University of Madrid (UPM, by its Spanish acronym) has financed a series of coordinated projects with the objectives of developing a model for teaching and evaluating core competencies and providing support to lecturers. This paper deals with the problem-solving competence. The first step has been to elaborate a guide for teachers to provide a homogeneous way to asses this competence. This guide considers several levels of acquisition of the competence and provides the rubrics to be applied for each one. The guide has been subsequently validated with several pilot experiences. In this paper we will explain the problem-solving assessment guide for teachers and will show the pilot experiences that have been carried out. We will finally justify the validity of the method to assess the problem-solving competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Review of Education / Internationale Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Educade: Spanish Journal of Accounting, Finance & Management Education / Revista de Educación en Contabilidad, Finanzas y Administración de Empresas is the property of Asociacion Espanola de Contabilidad y Administracion de Empresas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of El Profesional de la Información is the property of EPI SCP and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The current crisis, unsustainable growth, financial scandals involves reflection on the role of universities in the professional training, particularly those who have to manage businesses. On this issue, there is a perception that the teaching of ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) is insufficient (Baetz and Sharp, 2004; Kashyap et al., 2006). In this regard, universities play a fundamental role due both to the impact of the incorporation of CSR into the design of their study and research programs, and its incorporation into universities' mission, vision, and corporate strategy (Muijen, 2004). Then, the present study focuses jon analyzing both the definition of educational objectives and skills development to be acquired by students as the level of inclusion of CSR offered by Spanish universities. In particular, the present paper focuses on analyzing reports verified by National Agency for Quality Assessment of degrees related to the organizational management area implemented in the 2010-2011 academic course, which degrees has been developed based on European Higher Education Area. Based on previous papers, the results of the present paper show that the Bologna process and the Higher Education reform in Spanish universities have promoted an increase of the presence of CSR in the business education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents the fundamental characteristics of the Final Year Project (FYP), its associated competences and some evaluation standards that derived from a research conducted by the regional government of Catalonia (Spain) and the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency. More analytically, the paper begins with the definition of the Final Year Project in social sciences, continues with the identification and analysis of its associated competences and the basic phases for its realization and finishes with the presentation of some fundamental evaluation standards. Our final proposal is considered as objective and effective not only for the realization of the FYP by the students, but also for its evaluation by the instructors, since it can easily be customized for different social sciences curricula. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Estudios Sobre Educacion is the property of Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Navarra, S.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper, the educational experiences of research in Engineering Education in the Escuela Universitaria de Ingenieria Tecnica de Telecomunicacion at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid are presented. The research attempted to go beyond the experiences in the framework of the European Higher Education Area during the academic years 2005-2007. This paper describes the experience within the first-year course in the Escuela Universitaria de Ingenieria Tecnica de Telecomunicacion. Three years after the beginning of this research some feedback is given and some conclusions are drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the last decades of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first, the teaching of English for specific and/or professional and academic purposes has probably constituted one of the most innovative areas in the Spanish University. With the advent of the Bologna reform, the theory and praxis of this dynamic field of knowledge has enhanced its range of activity, so as to include not only students, but also lecturers, whithin its concerns. The result can be measured by the innumerable variety of CLIL (Content Language Integrated Learning) teacher training experiences carried out along the Spanish Tertiary Education geography. This paper has two main purposes: on one hand, to give the account of the CLIL teacher training at the UPCT (included in the larger frame of teaching innovation programs), under its corresponding theoretical approach and bearing in mind the particular circumstances of the institution. On the other hand, to pose questions about the future perspectives of similar experiences in a teaching context that is becoming more and more complex and 'hybrid' from its very foundations. The partial conclusions of this study depict a global teaching/professional scenario that is both challenging and appealing, which must be seriously dealt with from the Universities and our common European administrative framework alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the opinion of agricultural engineers about their education, identify EHEA-based educational needs for a successful future, and depict the current situation of the labor market for graduate agricultural engineers as well as the professional prospects for undergraduate students. The chosen sample of Agricultural Engineers are those in the region of Galicia (NW of Spain). It is consisted of graduate students of the Higher Polytechnic School at the University of Santiago de Compostela since 1987 and members of the Galician Association of Agricultural Engineers (Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Agrónomos de Galicia--COIAG). The results show the dynamism of the profession in Galicia and reveal the importance of both traditional and new areas of activity. In addition, the results show high expectations among the participants regarding the new curriculum. Agricultural engineers acknowledge and support all the competencies included in the curricula and demand more competencies related to the new fields of activity of the profession to be included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to propose and empirically contrast a structural model of relationships between academic–professional competences in tourism higher education. Currently, much attention is being paid to the concept of competence. However, in the literature review, we did not find any proposal for a holistic approach that tends to understand the relationships between the generic and specific competences in higher education. This study is focused on a subject of the tourism degree in the University of Seville (Spain). It is based on a sample of 154 students. The results confirm that there are relationships between the generic and specific competences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has promoted the implementation of a teaching methodology based on competences. Drawing on New Institutional Sociology, the present work aims to identify and improve knowledge concerning the factors which are hindering that change in the Spanish university system. This is investigated using a case study based on a Spanish university which is a pioneer in the implementation of a competence-based curriculum. The results show that factors identified and analysed are conditioning the change and causing a ceremonial adoption of the competence-based system by the teaching staff. The results of the study may be of use as a reference and orientation for educators and administrators as well as for the regulators of those countries integrated within the EHEA. The study may prove useful in the analysis of inertia factors present when designing and implementing the policies and measures necessary to achieve a comprehensive teaching methodology; one which incorporates learning and assessment of competences in a real manner. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The implementation of the European Higher Education Area in Spain has involved a substantial change in the traditional practices of university education, introducing important modifications both in the teaching methodology and in the assessment criteria. This work presents the experience carried out by the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Albacete in the subject of Cost Accounting. The paper aims to determine whether the new methodologies used in recent years and the introduction of new criteria for assessment have had a positive impact on the improvement of the students' performance and motivation in the aforementioned subject, which is taught in the third year of the degree in Business and Management Administration (ADE). In order to achieve this, we compared the grades obtained by students during the academic years 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 (in which the ECTS methodology was applied) with those obtained in the two immediately preceding academic years: 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 (where the teaching methodology involved lectures and a final exam worth 100% of the final grade). The findings evince an overall increase in the rate of students who take the exam and participate in the process of continuous assessment as a result of the new teaching methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we analyse, first, what competences regarding environmental sustainability are envisaged in the curricula of primary teachers at Spanish universities and, second, to what extent these competences guide the aims and content of the subject matter and the topics in the syllabi. From an analysis of the 79 competences which, according to ministerial regulations, should direct primary teacher training, three are directly related to environmental sustainability. The analysis of the content of the curricula from a sample made up of 23 Spanish universities indicates that these three competences have been taken into account in all of them, and that in 73% of the curricula other competences directly related to environmental sustainability are also incorporated. In a few cases, however, their degree of precision is vague. In only 26% of the curricula studied is a specific subject of environmental education – always optional – envisaged, and this topic is where the main educational efforts regarding sustainability are focused. In the absence of studies that analyse other more detailed curricular planning documents, the curricula of future primary teachers in Spain does not seem to ensure good training with respect to environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Educación XX1 is the property of Editorial UNED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Data from over 21,600 students who left Catalan higher education institutions during the academic years 2000–2001 and 2001–2002 have been analysed in order to describe the academic and personal profiles of university dropouts. Additionally, a telephone survey and face-to-face interviews with a pilot group of leavers were conducted to gather additional qualitative information about the reasons for their decision. The influences on non-completion can be reduced to three main factors, among which dissatisfaction with the quality of the students’ experience, family and work responsibilities as well as economic difficulties, are prominent. Analysis conducted showed no significant differences between Catalan higher education institutions, with dropout percentages ranging from 28% to 33%. These rates should be understood within a context of broad access to higher education. Within the European Higher Education Area scenario, the findings have triggered institutional endeavours to improve the quality of the students’ and teachers’ experience. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

University expansion in higher education has been hierarchically differentiated. There is some concentration of certain social profiles in some degrees of study, so social composition between degrees can vary considerably. This article describes in terms of social composition 10 degrees of four public universities in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. We analyse 857 questionnaires filled in by mid-career students. From the perspective of agent's decision on the choice of studies, we explore what were the factors that made them choose a concrete degree. We examine several variables that can indicate whether their expectations have been met or not. The results show that the factors predicted by the theory by which working-class (WC) students choose degrees-instrumental motivations and conditions that minimize the risk-are often met. In this regard, the recent structural reform related with the implementation of the European Higher Education Area that removes short-cycles degrees (3 years) could lead to a problem of access for WC students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of RUSC: Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento is the property of Fundacio per a la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present article seeks to bridge the gap between policy and practice in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). It illustrates how the underlying policies of the European Credit Transfer system (ECTS) are practically implemented in the language teaching arena, using five pedagogical innovation projects as a backdrop. It then reports on one of the first studies in Europe to offer empirical data on the functioning of this new system. Building on the unique position of the degree in English philology at the University of Jaen, a quasi-experimental investigation with a pre/post-test control group design was conducted throughout the course of the academic year 2005-2006 with Spanish university freshmen in order to determine the possible differential effects of the new ECTS framework. The quantitative data are complemented with qualitative questionnaires which provide interesting insights into the students' perceptions of the implementation of the new system. The results and implications, discussed in a final section, are essential to determine whether the ECTS scheme is working as it should be, whether the Bologna standards can indeed be met by 2010, and whether the EHEA is a feasible reality or an impractical ideal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spain is currently adapting its existing university system to European Higher Education Area guidelines for the 2009-2010 academic year. Against this background, we analyzed the development and transformation of the audio-visual communication degree currently offered in Catalan universities, consisting of a hybrid of theoretical and practical knowledge applied in the audio-visual field. We describe research results based on the following data: audio-visual curricular content for eight Catalan universities, nine in-depth interviews conducted with heads of audiovisual communication studies and a survey of 111 companies regarding labour market performance of audio-visual communication students on work experience programmes. On the basis of the results of our study we propose a solution to the problem of adapting audio-visual communication degrees to the European Higher Education Area system, based on developing specialisation pathways for different job roles, media platforms and genres. The pathway option equips the degree with professional specificity and enables flexible curricula to be developed in accordance with the capacities of individual universities and the demands of the private sector. The study also highlights the lack of definition in the job roles of audio-visual communication graduates and the difficulties in establishing differential skills for this course of studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo hace una exposición sobre qué es, cómo se desarrolla y cuál es la situación de España en el proceso de la construcción del Entorno Europeo de Educación Superior. Se habla del llamado proceso de Bolonia, un resultado de la reforma de las instituciones de educación superior europeas. Se da un repaso histórico del desarrollo del Proceso de Bolonia. Se explican el sistema europea de créditos y el Suplemento Europeo al Título. Se hablan de los dos niveles que dan lugar a tres titulaciones-el título de Bachelor, el de Master y el Doctorado.

Copyright of Papers: Revista de Sociologia is the property of Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)