Is the EHEA Evaluation criteria optimum? : empirical evidence from Finland and Spain

Abstract

The Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) and the Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (Finland) have experience on applying new teaching methodologies so that students can acquire a significant and deep learning through creative teaching. A new characteristic of this active teaching methodology is the student cumulative activities assessment. The aim of this paper is to show if there is any difference between the new assessment methodology compared to the traditional one and to know what factors could affect to students’ outcomes. A survey and grades of first year students in the Statistics and Accounting subjects in the Business Administration Bachelor Degree taught in English during the academic year 2010-2011 are used applying multivariate statistical techniques. The most interesting results are that coursework is higher than the examinations ones, except for male students enrolled in statistics and that university’s assessment culture, gender and course have impact on the academic outcomes.