Abstract:

In this paper we present a study on cross-disciplinary competences contained in the Chemistry Degree Verification Report of the University of Extremadura (UEx), focusing on the mechanism proposal to properly assess and to develop these skills and to provide teachers the adequate tools that will help them to that end.

Some questions that arouses between in the academic staff are: which subjects are the cross-disciplinary skills evaluated in?, how do those subjects have to work with them?, which activities are prepared to evaluate those skills?, will they be evaluated in the final thesis? what indicators would be suitable to assess skills?, is there a suitable protocol to assess competences? We address some of these questions this work, in order to make a mechanism for the assessment of cross-disciplinary skills listed in the Bachelor of Chemistry and, by extension, for any other official title.
A set of learning activities that cover these skills, having in mind the size of the groups and the methodology used, are: realization and presentation of works, discussion of theoretical and practical issues; experimental and additional activities, group tutorials, individual study, external practices, and the undergraduate final thesis.

We also show some methods or tools that allow us to know whether the skills have been acquired by students after graduation, ie, if the skills and abilities included in the title have been achieved. We have to pointed out that part of the grade credits are obtained from the cross-disciplinary skills and that most of them are included in the great group activities and in the personal study.

Other aspects to be considered are the internal regulations of our University to certify the acquisition of particular skills, such as the knowledge of a foreign language or the use of information and communication technologies. We must indicate that the development of questionnaires, student self-reports and Teacher reports, especially, the student Advisor, will be very helpful for this purpose. Finally, note that the undergraduate final Thesis should be the main tool to assess those cross-disciplinary skills not reported by other procedures.

From the above we conclude the necessity to develop systems or evaluation strategies that are able to assess students in their ability to search for information, in their knowledge, in the know-how, in the ability of applying knowledge to different circumstances, in the ability to reach a successful conclusion with a basic initial background, and in the achievement of the necessary skills.

Keywords:

Cross-disciplinary skills, teaching innovation, assessment systems.