Abstract:

The transition from an educational model focused on teaching to another model focused on learning that the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) sets, represents a major cultural change for the University as an educational institution. Its implementation is not limited to the adaptation of the content of the curricula to a new structure, but it also involves a deeper transformation by requiring lecturers to make a methodological renewal that includes changes in the teaching methods and procedures to be used in the development of the teaching-learning process.

This methodological renewal process involves a change of teachers’ priorities, moving from "knowing" to "knowing how to apply knowledge", and from "learning" to "learning to learn". This requires designing and using "active learning methodologies." By using them, students will enhance their own educational progress, as opposed to more traditional teaching methods that are only concerned about the transmission of fragmented knowledge.

However, despite the importance of this methodological renewal in the current context, the official guidelines on how to address this change are scarce. The official guidelines only suggest that "teaching methods and learning activities that are included in a curriculum should combine and make explicit different types of studies (single, guided, etc.) and activities (in classrooms, laboratories , etc.) to promote skills development” (Guidelines proposal for the construction of graduate and postgraduate university degrees, section 17.)

In this context, studies which are focused on teaching research acquire special interest (Martín Peña et al 2012). In this sense, students, as the consumers of education, can be a valuable asset in providing feedback and suggestions about teaching methodologies to provide data for educators to meet their expectations. However not much consideration has been given to their perceptions of the basic aspects of teaching methodologies on educational field in general (Vaillant y Marcelo 2001) and, in the operational field in particular (Alfalla-Luque et al 2011).

For this reason, this paper seeks to explore the usefulness of the learning methodologies (active or passive) perceived by the students for their learning process in the context of the operational field. In addition, it has been postulated that students have different learning styles, so we will analyze their perceptions regarding various aspects which could influence on it (i.e. gender, previous experience, among others).

An empirical study has been made in order to carry out the main objective. The sample was integrated by students from the 2nd and 3rd years of the Business Administration and Management degree (GADE) from the University of Cantabria. The data analysis was performed using the Rasch model. This technique has been validated in the education field. For instance, it is the methodology used in the Pisa education report. Its main advantage is that objective measures can be obtained from the analysis of categorical variables.

Initial results show, firstly, that not all active learning methodologies are perceived as helpful by students. Secondly, this perception varies depending on the characteristics of the group studied. The analysis of these results can facilitate the work of lecturers by providing them opportunities to improve their educational methodologies.

Keywords:

EHEA, Learning methodologies, Students’ perceptions, Rasch model.