Abstract:

One of the main problems facing Higher Education is how to bring students closer to the real world. The application of theoretical knowledge to practice or the interconnection of theoretical knowledge is often one of the main demands of employers. On the other hand, most students perceive university education as being far removed from the professional world. This paper analyses the point of view of students from three different degrees at the University of La Laguna: Chemistry, Environmental Sciences and Industrial Chemical Engineering. The survey has assessed holistically how students deal with complex problems and how they perceive that they are able to interconnect concepts and solve real situations in their professional environment. The results show that the students feel unprepared to solve complex problems, and they also perceive that the university is far removed from the real world. On the contrary, they consider that key competences such as problem solving, and critical thinking have been adequately developed within their academic development at university. On the other hand, they recognise the transformation efforts of the university and how in recent years they have introduced methodologies that allow them to face real problems. In this sense, the students know how to identify the problem-based methodology. Finally, the paper presents a series of proposals to improve students' perception and their ability to deal with complex problems.

Keywords:

Problem-based learning, motivation, students, skills.