CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT AS COMPETENCES IN ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS DEGREE PROGRAMMES

Adaption to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has brought substantial changes due to the definition of competence-oriented learning objectives. This, in turn, has entailed the need to redesign subjects and introduce methodological changes in both the teaching-learning process and assessment systems.

Our rapidly changing world requires a constant capacity to adapt, which means the cross-cutting competence titled Ability to develop Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (hereinafter ACIE) is key. Students should be prepared for imaginative and proactive problem-solving in the different situations they will have to face in a context where change is the only constant.

As this competence is cross-cutting, it is not linked to any degree programme in particular. However, it is also true that it is more necessary in certain studies, and therefore in certain careers. This is the case of Bachelor’s degrees related to the world of business and economics.
Having acknowledged the role of this competence, it is no easy task to determine the procedure and methodology to bolster it and establish indicators to judge the extent to which it has been attained. Our analysis and proposal of a system to assess and measure attainment of the cross-cutting ACIE competence in Economics and Business degree programmes at the University of the Basque Country were prompted by the two previously mentioned reasons and the fact that these aspects were not included in the subject reports and teaching guides.

We propose that the assessment model should be designed in three steps:
(1) Definition of the competence mentioned, disaggregated into the three subcompetences that form it;
(2) Establishment of the different levels of the competence (levels of mastery) and
(3) Design of the assessment rubrics.

This study aims to examine the significance of the ACIE competence and to establish the levels of mastery required in the different years of study of the Bachelor’s degrees taught at our faculty and in the degree final project. We intend to develop the first two steps of the assessment model, thus contributing to generate a framework that will provide the tools needed to measure this competence.