Design by competences in the European Higher Education Area: a new challenge for the Spanish education system

Abstract

Translating our university education system in the European Higher Education Area, in a relatively short time, it was required a careful consideration, not only on the structure and content of the titles and subjects to be taught, but also a substantial renovation of the teaching methodologies that were being traditionally used by the university teachers . The new system now focuses his interest in "the process of student learning," conceived as a dynamic and continuous process of knowledge, skills, attitudes and responsibilities , which must be able to be assessed and measured to show he learning outcomes of an educational program. Therefore, to accommodate the unprecedented panorama that opened to us, education from that moment, is organized to acquire those competencies that are considered to be essential for comprehensive training of the student, authorizing him to good development of his profession in an increasingly competitive transnational labor market. However, as this is a complex issue his career has ignited a heated debate in the university community, mainly focused on clarifying what kind of role that the University, in its essence, is to play as an institution. And above all, to elucidate and determine whether the results achieved in a few years, with have really been as positive as expected, thanks to the modification of teaching methods. Hence, a segment of teachers has exposed the desirability of new teaching methods are continually monitored to ensure that his application in a coordinated and proportionate manner that avoid, in practice, an increase in the acquisition of a serie of skills and competencies of students is able to cause an alarming decrease in their required level of expertise.