Abstract:

The European Space for Higher Education (ESHE) has implied changes in Spanish university teaching, specifically in the teaching-learning process. This new context has stimulated the implementation of new teaching methods in the university environment aimed at fostering active learning among students. The primary objective of this study is to analyse the results obtained from applying a method based on cooperative learning in the university environment. Specifically it analyses the impact that work based on cooperative action groups (CAG) has on the level of regular class attendance, final examination attendance and academic results. This methodology has been applied to the practical classes of the subject of Spanish Economics which is taught in the second year of the Economics Undergraduate Degree at the University of Alicante. This study will consist of a preliminary analysis of the CAGs and an explanation of how they have been implemented in the above-mentioned subject. Subsequently, the main results obtained from the last two academic years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 will be presented.

Keywords:

ESHE, Cooperative work, teaching methodology, Learning, Spanish Economics.