Improving a self-assessment tool to monitor generic skills development in an active learning environment
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Improving a self‑assessment tool to monitor generic skills development in an active learning environment Afke Groen1,2 · Patrick Bijsmans1 · Johan Adriaensen1
© European Consortium for Political Research 2020
Abstract While typical academic skills such as research and writing are commonly monitored in Higher Education, generic skills such as teamwork, critical thinking or communication receive less attention. This is problematic in light of discussions on students’ further career development. It is often said that active learning environments facilitate the training of such skills. Having a tool to monitor skills progression is an important prerequisite to properly test such claims. At Maastricht University, we developed a self-assessment tool to raise awareness about skills required to take full advantage of the active learning environment, and to initiate self-reflection on the side of students. While the current tool achieves these objectives, it is less suited as an instrument for measuring skills development. In this article, we propose a re-developed self-assessment tool and test its merits through a quasi-experimental study. A group of sixty-two students was asked to complete both the old and new version of the tool. Students and mentors were subsequently asked to evaluate which score represents students’ skills level best. We evaluate if the new self-assessment tool provides a better insight into students’ generic skills development in an active learning environment. Keywords Active learning · Generic skills · Portfolio · Problem-based learning · Self-reflection · Skills measurement
* Afke Groen [email protected] Patrick Bijsmans [email protected] Johan Adriaensen [email protected] 1
Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
2
Present Address: Mr. Hans Van Mierlo Stichting, Lange Houtstraat 11, 2511 CV Den Haag, The Netherlands
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A. Groen et al.
Introduction Generic skills feature prominently in debates about the career development of university students. Students need to acquire not just expertise in a specific discipline, but also a range of skills that make them attractive employees in various fields (e.g. Béjean and Monthubert 2015; European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice 2018; Government of the Netherlands 2018; Office for Students 2018). In response to this agenda, universities have integrated the training of relevant generic skills into curricula (e.g. Lee et al. 2016). Yet, there has been less attention for monitoring the development of these skills over time. While there is much debate about what generic skills entail (Green et al. 2009; Suleman 2017), they are generally understood as skills that are relevant in any discipline (Dunne et al. 2000: 108). Active learning environments, in which students carry greater responsibility in managing their own learning process, may particularly facilitate the training of students’ generic skills. In the literature on active learning, some progress has been mad
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