Competence assessment using rubrics and social networks and bringing your own device (BYOD)

Abstract

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) promotes the competence-based assessment using varied, diverse and innovative assessment tools. In this sense, in previous teaching innovation projects we have developed rubrics to align the evaluation with the competences that the student need to acquire. Moreover, we have explored how to strengthen the G15 competence of critical thinking using social networks because we observed is the competence that our students need to reinforce most. However, we have observed in our agricultural engineering students, that if they forgot to bring their device to the center, did not usually have alternative digital resources, and others did not have any account on social networks. Despite the young people in Spain recognize an intensive use of electronics, the 90% of them own 2-5 electronic devices, they little use them for learning purposes. Taking into account that digital resources and social networks are tools increasingly used by companies, we consider the need to explore bring your own device teaching method. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) or BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) initiatives allow students to bring their own mobile devices (laptops, netbooks, tablets, smartphones, etc.) to their centers, and connect them to a Wi-Fi network, to access institutional and educational applications and services. This experience can be a good preparation for the working context that the students will face soon. The aim of this teaching innovation project was to use BYOD initiatives to evaluate, using e-rubrics and social networks, the competences that students need to acquire. The methodology included i) the creation of a subject practice using social media to strengthen the critical thinking competence, ii) the design of a rubric using CoRubrics to assess the practice, iii) the teacher evaluation of the practice and self- and co-evaluation by the students and iv) the analysis of the results and of the teaching-learning process. The results show that high school students had the least access to mobile devices. Undergraduate and master’s students in Agronomic Sciences initially brought their devices when requested and with the progress of the course, they brought it regularly. Not all students use social networks regularly and they value their use in the practice that brings them closer to the professional sector. The teachers concluded that the project provides varied, diverse and innovative assessment tools aligned with the competence-based assessment promoted by EHEA.