Assessment of generic and socioemotional competences by university students

Abstract

The Spanish education system has opted explicitly for competency-based learning, as set out in Organic Law 8/2013 for the improvement of educational quality, which states that a mixture of diverse competences and knowledge provides the backbone for a more open, broader and participative society requiring collaboration and team work. In light of the above, the present work describes a much-needed instrument that: (i) optimises the assessment of generic competences in a sample of university students, and (ii) determines the importance that people with a successful career place on these competences with respect to their performance in the workplace or business environment. We present the results of applying such an instrument to the assessment of transversal skills considered relevant by both university students and graduates who have achieved success in the business world, which correspond to the two primary groups involved in the acquisition and development of transversal skills demanded by the European Higher Education Area. The data obtained in this study are considered relevant as they allow students to develop the generic skills and socioemotional competences that will make them attractive to future employers and suitably prepared for the labour market.