FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT METHOD FOR PROJECT BASED LEARNING IN SPANISH ENGINEERING STUDIES

When project based learning was implemented in the studies of Technical Architecture in Universitat Jaume I, the number of students per year was over 60 and the number of projects to correct was over 15. With this situation, many things had to be changed if we wanted to succeed implementing new learning methodologies. The first was students’ attitude; the second thing was teachers’ attitude. The required change for teachers was not only regarding knowledge or contents transferring, but also regarding assessment methods.
Traditional assessment methods, widely applied nowadays in technical studies in Spain, are not sufficient. New learning methodologies assessment methods for project based learning, applied to first, second and third year in the Technical Architecture degree, are necessary.
In this paper, a new assessment methodology is defined and tested in the third year in the Technical Architecture degree. An assessment procedure for teachers involved is defined, which avoids reluctance to a possible increase in the amount of assessment work or even suspiciousness from students due to possible subjective assessment.
Conclusions are drawn from the implementation in June 2009 of the new assessment method here proposed.