Presentamos el estudio de la fiabilidad y validez del cuestionario 'Community of Inquiry' (CoI) en su versión española. El modelo CoI concibe la enseñanza-aprendizaje en entornos on-line como proceso de indagación, a través del cual los participantes colaboran en el discurso y reflexión crítica para construir conocimiento personal y llegar a un entendimiento mutuo. Consecuentemente, el modelo CoI identifica la presencia de tres dimensiones: a) la presencia cognitiva, referida al grado en que los participantes son capaces de construir significado y conocimiento a través de la comunicación continua, la reflexión y la discusión; b) la social, definida como la habilidad de los participantes de identificarse con la comunidad, comunicarse y desarrollar relaciones interpersonales; c) la docente, referida al diseño, guía y dirección, por parte del profesorado, de procesos cognitivos y sociales con el propósito de lograr resultados de aprendizaje significativos en los estudiantes. La validación del cuestionario en el contexto de enseñanza a distancia español muestra resultados satisfactorios desde el punto de vista de la validez de constructo y la fiabilidad como consistencia interna, confirmando la utilidad e interés de este instrumento en investigaciones que pretendan analizar y mejorar el desarrollo de procesos educativos a través de comunidades de indagación. We present the study of the reliability and validity of the 'Community of Inquiry' (CoI) survey in its Spanish version. The CoI model conceives teaching-learning in on-line environments as a process of inquiry, through which the participants collaborate in the discourse and critical reflection to build personal knowledge and reach a mutual understanding. Consequently, the CoI model identifies the presence of three dimensions: a) the cognitive presence, referred to the degree to which the participants are capable of constructing meaning and knowledge through continuous communication, reflection and discussion; b) the social presence, defined as the ability of participants to identify with the community, communicate and develop interpersonal relationships; c) the teaching presence, referred to the design, guidance and direction, on the part of the faculty, of cognitive and social processes with the purpose of achieving significant learning results in the students. The validation of the survey in the context of Spanish distance learning shows satisfactory results from the point of view of construct validity and reliability as internal consistency, confirming the usefulness and interest of this instrument in investigations that seek to analyze and improve the development of educational processes through communities of inquiry.

One of the most sensitive changes faced by universities due to the COVID-19 crisis was the remote assessment of student learning. This research analysed the case of a massive distance learning university that rapidly changed the final assessment (N=126,653 undergraduate students in 2020) from face-to-face exams to entirely online exams. The research focused on the influence of online assessment on academic performance and students’ perception of the new method. Two data sources were used: the contrast of academic performance indicators (assessment, success and achievement rates, and average marks obtained) between the online examination call and the previous ones with face-to-face examinations; and a questionnaire to a sample of students (n=714) on their perception of the online assessment experience. The results show that all the academic performance indicators in the 28 Bachelor Degrees offered at the university increased when the final assessment method turned to online due to the pandemic crisis; and that a majority of students are more favourable to online assessment methods. The discussion places these findings in a context of rapid change, and concludes by identifying the possible implications of online assessment for student retention, organisational challenges, as well as possible further studies.

The two‐way relationship between inclusion and participation makes municipal child participation organisations and experiences a key means of guaranteeing the inclusion in community life of children and adolescents, who are traditionally excluded from decision‐making and the promotion of changes in the realities of their lives. One of the main objectives of municipal child participation organisations is to ensure that these spaces are inclusive. This means that they must promote equality of guarantees and conditions in the development of the right to participation from a perspective that addresses the different axes of inequality, not only in access to these spaces but also in the relational dynamics that take place in them. Based on a theoretical reflection on inclusion and participation, this article analyses the data from a questionnaire applied to 279 people (191 technical figures and 88 elected authorities) from 179 municipalities in Spain, which seeks to describe the state of child and adolescent participation in municipalities that are part of the International Association of Educating Cities, Child Friendly Cities, or both. A qualitative analysis is made of those issues related to the strategies used to promote inclusion within the Children’s Councils, as well as in the initiatives promoted in the field of child participation. The results show agreement in considering Children’s Councils to be inclusive bodies, but the means and procedures used do not always guarantee this inclusiveness.

Equity and equal opportunities in education are objectives present in the legislative frameworks of the countries of the European Union. One of the indicators used par excellence to guarantee the fulfillment of these objectives is the Early Leaving from Education and Training (ELET). In recent years the level of abandonment has decreased in countries such as Spain and Portugal, scenarios of our study. However, due to the complexity of abandonment processes, we cannot attribute it to a single cause. Our interest is to analyze it from the school experience: how the ESL is lived and how a school is thought to guarantee the success of all. To do this, we gather the perspective of the young people who star in it, through life stories, in-depth interviews and focus groups. In the narrative of the students about their stage of schooling, the practices of attention to diversity are translated into experiences of exclusion. In the mass school, school failure and segregation are frequent forms of response to diversity. Resources and learning conditions continue to be marked by deficiencies, particularly among those in situations of greater social vulnerability. The theoretical level where the regulation of the educational system moves tries to favor the capacity and motivation to learn. However, the practice is driven by other inertia that explain what happens in schools from the logic of accumulation and competition, leaving aside the commitment to equity.