Abstract:

The biotechnology degree is aimed at students acquiring the technical and conceptual tools that enable them to develop new products of interest. The fields of action of the biotechnologist are, fundamentally, biomedical, agricultural, livestock and environmental. For this reason, it is understood that their role is fundamental in a modern knowledge society. Nowadays, all university degrees in Spain are built on competences that enable students, once they have completed their training period, to act effectively in any employment situation. These competences are not only knowledge, but also abilities and commitments that can describe the results of learning carried out throughout a university degree. In each degree at the University of Almeria (UAL), three types of skills must be contemplated i.e. 1st, Generic skills included in Royal Decree RD1393/2007 of 29 October, approved by the State Central Administration, establishing regulations for Official University Studies; 2nd, Generic skills of the UAL, approved by the Governing Council of the University the 17 June 2008, which are transversal skills appearing in all degrees; and 3rd, Specific skills of each title. In this paper, generic skills of the University of Almeria (UAL1 to UAL10) are analyzed in 41 subjects comprising the biotechnology degree: UAL1, Basic knowledge of the profession; UAL2, Ability to use of ICT; UAL3, Ability to solve problems; UAL4, Oral and written communication in their own language, UAL5, Capacity for critical and self-critical; UAL6, Teamwork; UAL7, Knowledge of a second language; UAL8, Ethical commitment; UAL9, Ability to learn to work autonomously; and UAL10, Social skill and global citizenship. It has been observed that, generally speaking, the average number of skills per subject, excluding internships and end-of-degree work, is very low. This is only 1.56 skills per subject. If the attention is paid into the skills evaluated in each subject, it can be seen that only 5 of them (UAL1, UAL2, UAL3, UAL4, and UAL9) are present in more than 3 subjects. The conclusions drawn from this analysis should highlight the weaknesses of certain teaching guides, providing a possibility for improvement.

Keywords:

Biotechnology, skills, university degree.