Abstract:

Social and cultural changes occurred in recent years not only have implied the adaptation of university studies within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), but also have been accompanied by a paradigm shift in the model of learning and teaching. This has meant a review of curriculums and the seeking of innovative instructional methods and resources to help university teachers, focusing firmly on the students’ learning process as well as to ensure the achievement of competencies that will enable them to prepare for the professional world. Autonomous and self-regulated learning, student engagement active searching to improve personal and professional skills, awareness of academic and professional strengths and weaknesses and the development of personal life-long learning values and attitudes, are reinforced in this new context as main defined objectives in the university education. In this sense, Reflective Learning could be a thoughtful approach with the significant potential to create teaching and learning experiences in this rapidly changing academic.

In September 2010, with the institutional support of the University Institute of Educational Sciences of the ‘University of Girona’, teachers coming from wide-ranging disciplines that were interested to deal with Reflective Learning created a Teacher’s Network. Participants of the Network for Innovation in Reflective Teaching and Learning (NIRTaL), belong to different academic disciplines and professional fields including Nursing, Psychology, Tourism, Social Education and Environmental Sciences. In different areas, methodological tools based on reflective learning are being applied: reflective journal as a tool to promote reflection during practical placement, reflective portfolio in tutoring plans and learning activities based on reflection to support personal and professional development, among others.

In a phase zero, the members of NIRTaL, are interested in sharing a tool to achieve feedback from our students, to assess the impact of Reflective Learning on their educational experience. This presentation presents the firsts results of a self-report student’s appraisal Reflective Learning questionnaire focussed in self-perception achievements related to the implemented reflective methods and tools.

Specifically, the objectives of the self-report student’s appraisal Reflective Learning questionnaire were:
1. To know what is the student’s appraisal of Reflective Learning methodology in relation to reflective self-knowledge, the connection of between experience and knowledge, the self-reflection on the learning process and the self-regulation of the learning.
2. To obtain evidences relate to the main difficulties encountered by students integrating the Reflective Learning methodologies in their own reflective learning processes.
3. To collect students' perceptions about what are the main contributions of the Reflective Learning processes developed.

We present the results of this pilot study from around 250 students from different disciplines and degrees. The results will allow us to know the students' appraisal of strategies, models and tools based on Reflective Learning at the university. This feedback also can help us to refine and improve these strategies. Furthermore, this tool could allow us to evaluate and make decisions focused on improving the planning and implementation of Learning and Teaching activities.

Keywords:

Reflective Teaching, Effective Learning, EHEA.