Abstract:

The experience presented about transversal competences in doctoral studies in a cross-border context, is embedded in the Life Long Learning Transversalis Project (LLL-T) within the framework of the Interreg Program POCTEFA 2014-2020 (Territorial Cooperation Program Spain - France - Andorra). Transversalis includes a set of 9 partners constituting a cross-border network whose objective is to harmonize and reinforce the lifelong learning practices to return the challenges of each particular region.

On this framework, the UdG Team has been working on defining a set of transversal cross-border competences, as a complement of the competences profile of doctoral studies, to facilitate the transition among academia and workplace and the recognition on both sides of the border.

The first step of the process has been sharing some ideas about the meaning of competence and curriculum based on competences. From the Competence based Teaching model (CBT) that we take as a background, competences mean the keyword among social needs a university programs and require not only to acquire knowledge but also the use of knowledge, properly, in each specific context. Competences are the learning horizon.

The second step has been to discuss and share why a curriculum based on competences. From the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), a Europe of Knowledge is now widely recognized as capable of giving its citizens the necessary competences to face the challenges of the new millennium, together with an awareness of shared values and belonging to a common social and cultural space. Also, the Bologna process, introduces a two or three cycle system that makes necessary to revise all existing study programmes which are not based on the concept of cycles. In a cycle system each cycle should be seen as an entity in itself, this shows the relevance of using the concept of competences as a basis for learning outcomes.

The third step of our team work has been to identify the advantages to define cross-border competences for doctoral students and future workers and the main advantages founded have been: to acquire competences to work in interdisciplinary and intercultural contexts, facilitate the international collaborative work, share languages among teachers, students and stakeholders, promote the mobility of students and workers and facilitate the access to the workplace.

And the last topic we have been working about is how could doctoral students and workers certify the acquired cross-border competences. It is very difficult to add this recognition to the academic certificates, and from our point of view, badges represent a good way of acknowledging achievements or competences acquisition. The use of block chain and badges in higher education continues to gain traction as a way to acknowledge achievement and establish qualifications in various professional fields.

The described process has been the basis to define a set of cross-border competences that could be certified.

Keywords:

Competencies, cross-border, Life long learning, EHEA.