Competency Maps: an Effective Model to Integrate Professional Competencies Across a STEM Curriculum

Abstract

Curricula designed in the context of the European Higher Education Area need to be based on both domain-specific and professional competencies. Whereas universities have had extensive experience in developing students' domain-specific competencies, fostering professional competencies poses a new challenge we need to face. This paper presents a model to globally develop professional competencies in a STEM degree program, and assesses the results of its implementation after four years. The model is based on the use of competency maps, in which each competency is defined in terms of competency units. Each competency unit is described by their expected learning outcomes at three domain levels. This model allows careful analysis, revision and iteration for an effective integration of professional competencies in domain-specific subjects. A global competency map is also designed, including all the professional-competency learning outcomes to be achieved throughout the degree. This map becomes a useful tool for curriculum designers and coordinators. The results were obtained from four sources: 1) students' grades (classes graduated from 2013 to 2016, the first four years from the new Bachelor's Degree in Informatics Engineering at the Barcelona School of Informatics); 2) students' surveys (answered by students when they finished the degree); 3) the government employment survey, where former students evaluate the satisfaction of the received training in the light of their work experience; and 4) the Everis Foundation University-Enterprise Ranking, answered by over 2000 employers evaluating their satisfaction regarding their employees' university training, where the Barcelona School of Informatics scores first in the national ranking. The results show that competency maps are a good tool for developing professional competencies in a STEM degree.

A Methodology to Analyze the Presence of Sustainability in Engineering Curricula. Case of Study: Ten Spanish Engineering Degree Curricula

“…On the other hand, the degree that shows more sustainability presence is the BDDE of UPC, with a 100% presence in competencies C1 (critical contextualization of knowledge), C3 (participation in community processes), and C4 (application of ethical principles), and it has a 75% presence of C2 (sustainable use of resources), followed by BDIE (also from UPC), with a 100% presence in competencies C3 (participation in community processes) and C4 (application of ethical principles), 92% in C2 (sustainable use of resources) and 67% in C1 (critical contextualization). This result is not surprising, given that this degree has been designed according to a strategy for developing sustainability through several curriculum subjects [26] and which uses the engineering sustainability map as a tool. This is not the case with the BDDE, which obtains however better results.…”

“…A sustainability map helps to define the way in which sustainability should be developed in a degree and to evaluate the development and acquisition of sustainability in an effective way. The sustainability map contributes to creating awareness about the course content and teaching practices [26]. This map contains the learning outcomes related to sustainability that are expected of graduates at the end of their studies.…”

“…A competency map is a matrix of learning outcomes organized according to competency units (rows) and domain levels (columns) [26]. For each of the four competencies related to sustainability (C1-C4), the rows of the matrix define a set of competency units (different aspects to be dealt with by each competency).…”

Advance Management Education for Power-Engineering and Industry of the Future

“…Despite the vast and ever-expanding body of literature on scientific and technological achievements and recent technologies, and the new industrial revolution [22][23][24], the issue of the demand for new competencies and new principles of professional education has so far been studied insufficiently, especially in a holistic way that would conceptualize new challenges. However, one positive example is the study [25] that presents the methodological and instrumental principles for creating competency maps and closely reflects our position.…”

El proyecto EDINSOST. Formación en las Universidades españolas de profesionales como agentes de cambio para afrontar los retos de la sociedad

“…Un mapa de competencias es una matriz cuyas celdas contienen los resultados de aprendizaje que se esperan del estudiante al final de su proceso de aprendizaje (Sánchez Carracedo et al, 2018a). Las filas contienen las diferentes Unidades de Competencia de cada competencia analizada, mientras que en las columnas se indican los distintos niveles de dominio de la taxonomía utilizada para clasificar los resultados de aprendizaje.…”