Abstract:

With the development of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), academic training at the University level has acquired a new dimension, focused on the implementation of active learning approaches and the achievement by the students not only of specific technical skills, but also of cross-curricular competencies, such as verbal or written communication, the use of ICTs, creativity and teamwork, among some others.

Video is currently recognized as a valuable educational tool in technical studies because of its communicative potential. On the other hand, production of informative technical videos by students on several topics related with a course content is also a useful tool for the acquisition and evaluation of technical skills and, particularly, of cross-curricular skills.

This paper presents a practical experience developed at the School of Agricultural Engineering of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, consisting of the development of an informative short video (less than 5 minutes) in two different subjects (‘Rural buildings’ & ‘Engineering projects’) of the BS Degree in Agricultural Engineering and Science and the BS Degree in Agro-Environmental Engineering. The experience was made in the frame of an international project involving Universities in Europe and USA. Videos were produced during a month by teams of 4 to 5 students and were subsequently hosted in a specific channel created on YouTube, where they could be viewed, critically assessed by international peers and academically assessed by teachers of the subjects involved. Information on the methodology followed in the development of this video activity is available; the assessment criteria, the results obtained by the students of both Degrees and the students’ assessment of the experience are also presented and discussed. Video experiences, as the one shown here, help to promote active learning methods and the acquisition by the students of cross-curricular skills such as creativity, use of ICTs and teamwork , among some others.

Keywords:

Video, cross-curricular skills, competencies, Higher education.