Abstract:

The learning contract (LC) allows students to enhance their autonomy, so that they can structure their learning in a guided and progressive manner. Thus, it is essential to formalise a time frame for implementation, which, together with a tutoring plan, allows the teacher to monitor the student's learning. The main advantage of this method is that the contract arises from a mutual agreement between teacher and student, which, although it includes basic aspects to be learned during the course, also includes objectives and competences to be achieved based on the students' interests. It also presents a more flexible methodology and an adapted evaluation process where the student will have to show the skills and resources acquired in order to pass the course. It is, therefore, a methodology that allows the student's activity to be stimulated in the teaching and learning process, taking into account their personal characteristics. This tool is of particular interest in university contexts, where education can be democratised, promoting negotiation processes and increasing student participation in the shaping of the subject.

There are various types of LC, the most frequent division being according to the number of students. For the specific case of this work, we propose the integration of this educational practice at the classroom group level. This is because it is applied in the context of the double degree in Building and Business Administration of the E.T.S. de Edificación de Madrid, and, more specifically, in the subject of Strategic Management, which has an average of 30 students/year. Additionally, in this proposal, the contract is not formalised for the entire subject, as it is only applied to the continuous assessment activities and practical cases included in the subject. Thus, this study presents a simple way of incorporating this methodology in the classroom, which can subsequently be extended to the development of entire university academic courses.

With this in mind, the methodology followed for the implementation of this teaching tool in the classroom is presented, describing the process step by step and pointing out the competences that the LC develops in the students. It also includes the negotiation techniques used with students, highlighting the importance of students drawing up a first draft of the contract and then discussing and completing it with the teacher in the classroom. On the other hand, the evaluation methods used in the development of these activities are presented, including a rubric to evaluate the practical cases and the competences acquired by the students. Finally, a schematic index is provided to carry out a self-assessment process of the activity, which allows the teacher to improve the implementation of this methodology in other sessions.

Keywords:

Learning Contract (LC), autonomous learning, undergraduate education, educational tool, pedagogical innovation.