A CHALLENGE IN THE TUTORIAL ACTION PLAN (TAP) FOCUSED ON THE TRANSVERSE COMPETENCES OF THE STUDENTS

As a quality element, the University of Burgos offers since the academic year 2009-2010 the Tutorial Action Plan (TAP). It pretends to improve the capacity of the students to understand what and how they are learning in order to check, plan and take charge of their learning. With this plan is also possible to help the students by using such resources and services offered by the University of Burgos in all the career period.
Since the very beginning some activities have been carried out. First, the University has been in charge of the introduction and later the improvement of the Tutorial Action Plan. The authors of this paper belong to the innovative group called University Tutorship (GIDUT) and were the pioneer of these activities. Recently, this research group is focused on give a burst to the professor’s tutorship, specifically, to help the student in the educational prospect career. Regarding this issue, the professors can analyze and value the academic marks and contribute with the student to help them in acquiring a global view about the applicability and feasibility of the careers in the professional world; the professor simulates the figure of the tutorial coach. To get this goal, the students need to develop the transverse competences and the typical competences.
This incentive is such a rewarding challenge that the GIDUT members have started a new research study heading a big objective, which is, to analyze the effect of the TAP in the develop of the transverse competences. In this paper it is showed some of the most representative results.
The empiric study has been done by using surveys with the students and the professors who has been tutoring students. With these surveys it is possible to detect the interest and the motivation of the students in acquiring their transverse competences and also the roll that plays the current tutorial actions.
In order to check the students’ point of view, in this first step it has been chosen two different levels of careers, they are, two Grades at the University of Burgos. Next, the survey has been developed by selecting previously the transverse competences and including four items relating the TAP. Specifically, during the academic year 2012-2013 the survey has been done to students of the first course and third course of Chemistry Grade and Science and Food Technology Grade.
Valuing the results obtained, we can assert that we are far from getting the best in this aspect of tutorials in the University of Burgos if we want to acquire the culture of the competences and in particular in the transverse competences. From the results we can deduce that many students merely know the meaning of the transverse competences they will have to get in the career. Also, what is more disturbing, that the professors do not inform properly about this academic aspect, and finally, that the student do not distinguish the relevance of them.
Taking into account the results, the members of this research group, GIDUT, is working in a new research project to be done in the next two years.