Cyp io Jou nal o Educa ional
Sciences
Volume 17, Issue 1, (2022) 193-204
www.cjes.eu
Mac oeconomics and ac i e me hodologies in highe
educa ion: A possible pai ing and a possible binomial
Asie A cos-Alonso a
*
, P o eso Labo al In e ino, Uni e sidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Spain
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-8737-5531
Ma ía Ga cia-Al a ez b, P o eso Labo al In e ino, Uni e sidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Spain
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-1822-3264
Amaia Ga cia Azpu u c, Uni e sidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Spain h p://o cid.o g/0000-
0002-9053-4393
Sugges ed Ci a ion:
A cos-Alonso, A., Ga cia-Al a ez, M & Azpu u, A. G., (2022). Mac oeconomics and ac i e
me hodologies in highe educa ion: A possible pai ing and a possible binomial. Cyp io Jou nal
o Educa ional Science. 17(1), 193-204. h ps://doi.o g/10.18844/cjes. 17i1.6695
Recei ed om Oc obe 30, 2021; e ised om No embe 11, 2021; accep ed om Janua y 10, 2022.
©2022 Bi lesik Dunya Yenilik A as i ma e Yayincilik Me kezi. All igh s ese ed.
Abs ac
This a icle p esen s an expe ience o eaching inno a ion based on he applica ion o ac i e me hodologies in
economics and business educa ion a he Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y (UPV/EHU). The p oposal builds on a
compe ency eaching app oach, whose objec i es we e o e i y he e ec i eness o hese me hodologies in he a ea
o economics in o de o econnec he uni e si y wi h i s social en i onmen and enhance he compe ency and
s uden -lea ning alues. Du ing he 2019–2020 academic yea , a mul idisciplina y p ocess based on he P oblem-
Based Lea ning me hodology was de eloped in he In oduc ion o Economics II: P inciples o Mac oeconomics
cou se. Va ious eaching echniques we e applied o encou age pa icipa ion, au onomous s uden wo k, g oup wo k,
as well as elemen s o social esponsibili y and alues educa ion. The esul s o he p ocess collec ed quan i a i ely
and quali a i ely show imp o emen s in he acquisi ion o knowledge by s uden s and g ea e app op ia ion le els
linked o g ea e mo i a ion. Howe e , eluc ance and misgi ings abou he p ocess also a ose, which would equi e
u he wo k in class and a leading ole by s uden s. G ea e planning, ime and coo dina ion equi emen s we e also
limi ing ac o s o he eaching s a ; howe e , he ele ance o applying he me hodology sequen ially is sugges ed.
Keywo ds: Ac i e me hodology, highe educa ion, social and e hical esponsibili y, ac i e lea ning, skills, economy.
*
ADDRESS OF CORRESPONDENCE: Asie A cos-Alonso, Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y UPV/EHU,
Vi o ia-Gas eiz, Spain.
Email add ess: asie .a [email protected]
A cos-Alonso, A., Ga cia-Al a ez, M & Azpu u, A. G., (2022). Mac oeconomics and ac i e me hodologies in highe educa ion: A
possible pai ing and a possible binomial. Cyp io Jou nal o Educa ional Science. 17(1), 193-204
h ps://doi.o g/10.18844/cjes. 17i1.6695
194
1. In oduc ion
We li e in a wo ld whe e mo e and mo e oices a e aised and claiming ha we a e imme sed
in a globalising p ocess. I is a con ex whe e he e is an in e sec ion o c ises a a s uc u al,
sys emic, mul iple and ela ed le el (Del Rio & Celo io, 2018; Raube , 2011). I is an inc easingly
complex en i onmen whe e changes a ec mo e le els and occu mo e apidly o e ime. I
has epe cussions, he e o e, on he di e en dimensions in which human beings de elop –
economic, social, cul u al, emo ional e c. – and he uni e si y en i onmen is no s ange o his
(A cos-Alonso e al., 2018).
The Spanish uni e si y cu en ly su e s om a ious p oblems o dys unc ion. howe e , This
a icle aims o add ess ‘ wo p oblems’ in pa icula : a) he g adual disconnec ion be ween he
uni e si y en i onmen and he socie y ha su ounds i , and b) he need o ac i e
me hodologies ha se e as bo h a ool o sol e his disconnec ion and a e adap able o
eaching based on he acquisi ion o compe encies.
The g adual dis ancing ha is aking place be ween he uni e si y and socie y gene a es a s a e
o disconnec ion be ween he in e es s o socie y and he ole o he uni e si ies, which on
occasions becomes me e aine s o p o essionals o he sys em. This is undoub edly one o
hei main objec i es, and in he case o Spain, i is pa ly due o he p o essionalising na u e
ha uni e si y educa ion has adi ionally had. E en so, i should no be o go en ha his mus
go hand in hand wi h i s ask o gene a ing a c i ical spi i and ansmi ing human alues, so
ha hey coincide as closely as possible wi h he in e es s o socie y and he en i onmen in
which hey ope a e (A cos-Alonso, Elías-O ega & A cos-Alonso, 2020). In sho , he school – o
uni e si y – as an ins i u ion ha ains new gene a ions has he obliga ion o keep in ouch wi h
he eali y ha su ounds i and o p opose al e na i es o p epa e i s s uden s o he u u e
(Cá denas & Ri e a, 2004).
Faced wi h he social and economic challenges o he 21s cen u y, an a emp is being made a
he Eu opean uni e si y le el o espond o hem. Thus, he Eu opean Highe Educa ion A ea
was c ea ed, which is cu en ly he con e gence plan, wi h he aim o p omo ing he mobili y o
ci izens and he de elopmen o he con inen , which c ys allised in he Bologna Decla a ion o
1999. This will gene a e impo an changes in Spanish uni e si ies (Jimenez, Lagos & Ja eno,
2013). One o he mos impo an will be he change o an educa ional model based on a
compe ency-based app oach, which becomes a undamen al elemen in he cons uc ion o he
‘lea ning h oughou li e’ sys em, an essen ial elemen o achie ing g ea e compe i i eness in
Eu ope, imp o ing social cohesion, equal oppo uni ies and quali y o li e (He nandez, Rena &
Manzano, 2009). I implies a p o ound change in he eaching–lea ning pa adigm, as he leading
ole o eache s shi s o a s a e in which s uden s play a undamen al ole in hei own lea ning.
Thus, au onomous and sel - egula ed lea ning will be encou aged, wi h he eache assuming a
guiding ole. In his way, he adi ional uni e si y cul u e based on he mas e class will change
o one based on in e ac ion and, o a ce ain ex en , ho izon ali y. A p o ound change o oles
be ween s uden and eache . I is a his poin whe e he ques ion a ises: Is i necessa y o hink
abou he applica ion o eaching me hodologies mo e in line wi h his new pa adigm? Wha a e
hey? How o apply hem? Wha acili a ing ole can In o ma ion and Communica ion
Technologies (ICT) play?
I seems pe inen o hink abou he need o change eaching p oposals and c ea e new keys in
uni e si y eaching (Lopez, Benedi o & Leon, 2016). Teaching combines in he same class oom
an eminen ly p ac ical na u e, a mul idisciplina y app oach ha helps s uden s o unde s and
and be pa o hei aining p ocess, using inno a i e me hodologies ha encou age
pa icipa ion and b ing hem close o he social eali y o hei en i onmen . The use o ac i e
me hodologies hus acqui es g ea impo ance (PBL, cases, p ojec s e c.), as i a ou s he
de elopmen o a cul u e o collabo a ion ha o e comes disciplina y isions, di e si ies
A cos-Alonso, A., Ga cia-Al a ez, M & Azpu u, A. G., (2022). Mac oeconomics and ac i e me hodologies in highe educa ion: A
possible pai ing and a possible binomial. Cyp io Jou nal o Educa ional Science. 17(1), 193-204
h ps://doi.o g/10.18844/cjes. 17i1.6695
195
assessmen s and deepens he lea ning achie ed (A cos-Alonso & Alonso-Olea, 2020). I also
helps o imp o e s uden s' me hodological compe ences, which will be o g ea in e es o hei
pe sonal and p o essional u u e (Ga ay-A gandona e al., 2021). Fu he mo e, s udies indica e
ha ac i e lea ning inc eases he success a e o s uden s by mo e han 5% (F eeman e al.,
2014), which suppo s he adop ion o hese me hodologies.
I should also be no ed ha his expe ience is in line wi h he UPV/EHU’s own eaching model:
he IKD Model – Coope a i e and Dynamic Lea ning – which p oposes coope a ion be ween he
agen s o he educa ional communi y, p ojec s and ini ia i es a ound he eaching–lea ning
p ocesses, in a clima e o mu ual us
†
.
We a e acing he challenge o esponding o his new con ex h ough he applica ion o ac i e
eaching me hodologies. P oblem Based Lea ning (PBL) has p o en o be one o he mos highly
alued by s uden s as i enables he di ec acquisi ion o expe ience, lea ning o skills and
unde s anding o concep s (O iz, 2019; He nandez e al., 2009). On he o he hand, he
Bachelo ’s Deg ee in Business Adminis a ion and Managemen (DBAM) ma ks as ans e sal
compe ences au onomous lea ning, eamwo k, capaci y o analysis and syn hesis, social and
e hical esponsibili y and, in pa icula , decision-making and p oblem-sol ing, among o he s. All
o hem can be con enien ly wo ked on h ough ac i e me hodologies, pa icula ly h ough PBL
om a mul idisciplina y app oach, gi en ha p e ious s udies show ha he acquisi ion o
ans e sal compe ences is no limi ed o p oblem-sol ing skills, bu ha o he ela ed
compe ences a e also g ea ly ein o ced, especially hose linked o hei coope a i e app oach
(Jimenez e al., 2013).
PBL eme ged in he 1950s in he Uni ed S a es and was soon applied a McMas e Uni e si y
medical school in Canada. The me hodology was hen adop ed in o he medical schools in he
Ne he lands, Aus alia and New Mexico and implemen ed in o he disciplines such as business
and educa ion (Penalosa, 2019; Boud & Fele i, 2013).
In PBL, he eache poses a p oblem-si ua ion and om he e he s uden s become he
p o agonis s o hei own lea ning h ough a sel -di ec ed p ocess u o ed by he eache
(Hmelo-Sil e , 2004; Wood, 2003). I is no abou sol ing p oblems pe se, bu once app op ia e
p oblems ha e been posed o inc ease s uden s’ knowledge and unde s anding, hey will use
igge ques ions om he p oblem case o scena io o each a inal esolu ion.
The p ocess is de ined and he a ia ions ha exis ollow a simila se ies o s eps. PBL may, o
may no , ocus on p oblem-sol ing wi h a gi en solu ion, and addi ionally enables he
de elopmen o o he desi able skills and a ibu es. These include knowledge acquisi ion,
communica ion, eamwo k, p oblem-sol ing, independen esponsibili y o lea ning,
in o ma ion sha ing and espec o o he s. Thus, PBL is a eaching me hod ha combines
knowledge acquisi ion wi h he de elopmen o gene ic skills and a i udes (Wood, 2003). I
encou ages a deepe app oach o lea ning, p omo es e sa ili y, explo es me hods and
imp o es knowledge e en ion, esea ch and applica ion skills. Teache s may also ind i
sa is ying (Fo sy he, 2002), as i helps hei own mo i a ion. Mo eo e , he po en ial o
me hodologies ha in ol e he combined esponsibili y o s uden s and eache s in he
gene a ion o knowledge ha a ou s a p o essional de elopmen ha is pe meable and
sensi i e o he changes occu ing in he social and labou wo ld (A cos-Alonso & A cos Alonso,
2021).
On his esea ch, he applica ion and analysis o PBL was ca ied ou in a i s -yea co e subjec ,
as a esul o a aining p ocess p omo ed by he UPV/EHU’s Educa ional Counselling Se ice
†
Fo u he in o ma ion consul ehu.eus/es/web/sae-helaz/ikd
A cos-Alonso, A., Ga cia-Al a ez, M & Azpu u, A. G., (2022). Mac oeconomics and ac i e me hodologies in highe educa ion: A
possible pai ing and a possible binomial. Cyp io Jou nal o Educa ional Science. 17(1), 193-204
h ps://doi.o g/10.18844/cjes. 17i1.6695
196
(SAE-HELAZ), in he ‘Wo kshop on he Applica ion o Ac i e Me hodologies’, whe e he p ac ical
applica ion o a ious ac i e me hodologies, including PBL, was p oposed.
Se e al au ho s ha e in es iga ed he applica ion o he me hodology in subjec s ela ed o he
eaching o economics o business managemen and adminis a ion (Kinsella, 2008;
Me gendolle e al., 2006; Fo sy he, 2002), o in pa icula , wi h he eaching o
mac oeconomics and ela ed subjec s (Jimenez e al., 2013; Klein, 2008; Maxwell e al., 2004).
I highligh s he ac ha since he eaching cons uc s a e di e en om adi ional ones, a
g ea deal o planning, ime and esou ces a e equi ed o adap hem o he class oom. As a
esul , i is possible, and some imes desi able, o apply i sequen ially in he subjec o e se e al
consecu i e yea s.
Addi ionally, i is impo an o no e he use o new ICTs in uni e si y eaching as an agen o
change in educa ional p ac ices (Sa ka , 2012). They help o imp o e hei quali y and
e ec i eness by suppo ing collabo a i e lea ning p ocesses ha equi e in e ac ion be ween
eache s and s uden s (Salinas, 2004).
2. Ma e ial and me hods
The eaching inno a ion p ocess was applied wi hin he amewo k o he subjec ‘In oduc ion
o Economics II: P inciples o Mac oeconomics’, which is augh in he i s yea o he Deg ee in
Business Adminis a ion and Managemen a he Facul y o Economics and Business
Adminis a ion (DBAM) o he UPV/EHU, Vi o ia-Gas eiz sec ion.
I is a case s udy, which consis s o an in-dep h analysis o a heo e ical sample ha does no
seek gene aliza ion bu a he he c ea ion o knowledge ha can be used in analogous o simila
con ex s (S ake, 1998) and ha can p obably be eplica ed o ex ended (Eisenha d , 1989). On
he o he hand, eliabili y and us wo hiness a e gua an eed by an accu a e design o he case
s udy, and he subsequen iangula ion o quan i a i e, quali a i e and bibliog aphic da a
(Ca azo, 2006).
In his pa icula case, wo di e en e alua ion sys ems we e o e ed: Con inuous Assessmen
Sys em (CA) and Final Assessmen Sys em (FE) (Table 1).
Table 1. E alua ion sys ems
CA
FA
Tasks
30%
Final Tes
70%
100%
Final Ma ks Subjec
100%
100%
2.1. Pa icipan s and desc ip ion o pa icipan s
The pa icipan g oup was made up o i s -yea s uden s -mos ly people be ween 17-18 yea s-
old- in he i s ou -mon h pe iod o he cou se, 39.5% o whom we e women and 60.5% men.
In o al he e we e nine y- ou pa icipan s, dis ibu ed in wo g oups: G1 and G2. Table 2 shows
hei o e all composi ion and i s b eakdown acco ding o sexes and e alua ion sys ems
eques ed.
A cos-Alonso, A., Ga cia-Al a ez, M & Azpu u, A. G., (2022). Mac oeconomics and ac i e me hodologies in highe educa ion: A
possible pai ing and a possible binomial. Cyp io Jou nal o Educa ional Science. 17(1), 193-204
h ps://doi.o g/10.18844/cjes. 17i1.6695
197
Table 2. Desc ip ion o he pa icipan s
S uden s en olled
S uden s p esen ed
Women
(p esen ed o CA
and FA)
Men (p esen ed
o CA and FA)
G1
50
F: 18 [36%]
45
CA: 40 [88.9%]
16
21
M: 32 [64%]
FA: 5 [11.1%]
1
4
G2
44
F: 18 [41%]
42
CA: 38 [90.5%]
15
23
M: 26 [59%]
FA: 4 [9.5%]
2
2
To al
94
F: 36 [38.3%]
87
CA: 78 [89.7%]
31
47
M: 58 [61.7%]
FA: 9 [10.3%]
3
6
G: g oup F: emale M: male CA: con inuous assessmen FA: inal assessmen (single
e aluable es )
In gene al, he majo i y o s uden s (89.7%) op ed o he con inuous assessmen sys em1,
ega dless o he g oup analysed o he sex o he s uden s (91.2% o women and 88.7% o men).
Based on hese p emises, he cou se was designed in such a way ha 75% o he con inuous
assessmen ma ks was assigned o asks o ac i i ies based on ac i e me hodologies (T1, T3 and
T4) and he emaining 25% o o he ypes o me hodology (Table 3). The ela i e weigh assigned
o hese ac i e me hodology asks on he o al inal ma ks (Table 1) was no due o hei
inadequacy o he lea ning p ocess o s uden s in economics and business s udies, bu due o
he no el y o hei applica ion in his a ea o knowledge. As he a o emen ioned au ho s
poin ed ou , he inno a i e na u e o hese me hodologies makes i necessa y o hei
implemen a ion o pu ing in o p ac ice o be p og essi e, wi h a ela i ely low weigh wi h
espec o he inal assessmen o he subjec , a leas in he i s s ages o es ing, as in his case.
2.2. Me hodological p ocess
The esea ch used as in o ma ion p oduc ion echniques he exploi a ion o he quan i a i e
esul s o asks and es s de eloped, and he na a i e echnique o he eache 's dia y, a
quali a i e me hodology, whe e no es we e collec ed on he opinion o s uden s and eache s
abou he me hodology applied. Bo h me hodologies we e used simul aneously h oughou he
e m.
Quan i a i e me hodology:
The subjec was planned wi h measu able and achie able objec i es in each ask, bu which a
he same ime esponded o he global objec i es ocused on he acquisi ion o compe ences by
he s uden s wi h a iew o hei u u e inse ion in he labou ma ke (Miguez & Gil, 2012). The
‘compe ence objec i es a subjec le el we e as ollows:
1. Encou age au onomous lea ning and coope a i e wo k, he managemen and esolu ion
o conce ns, in e es s and possible con lic s in g oups.
2. To p omo e he capaci y o e lec ion, analysis and syn hesis a g oup and indi idual
le el in ela ion o eal and cu en p oblems and si ua ions ela ed o mac oeconomics.
3. Design and implemen new p ac ical eaching ac i i ies ha p omo e in e disciplina i y.
4. T ans e salise elemen s o social esponsibili y and e hics linked o he eaching o
economics in he con en and lea ning p ocess.
5. To wo k on s uden s’ decision-making skills when aced wi h eal-li e p oblems.
A cos-Alonso, A., Ga cia-Al a ez, M & Azpu u, A. G., (2022). Mac oeconomics and ac i e me hodologies in highe educa ion: A
possible pai ing and a possible binomial. Cyp io Jou nal o Educa ional Science. 17(1), 193-204
h ps://doi.o g/10.18844/cjes. 17i1.6695
198
The eache designed a sys em o con inuous and o ma i e assessmen so ha she could
obse e whe he he s uden s we e acqui ing he new concep s p oposed, allowing he o ask
hem open ques ions as a igge (Bu le e al., 2001) on which o wo k ac i ely. S uden s we e
accompanied h oughou he p ocess, wi h signi ican ime and e o alloca ed by he eache
and cons an eedback p o ided (B own & Long, 2006). The con inuous assessmen hus
p oposed in ol ed he comple ion o six asks. All asks we e e alua ed and g aded. Table 3
shows he asks ca ied ou in he eaching inno a ion p ocess. The UPV/EHU’s Moodle pla o m
o i ual suppo o he eaching– eGela–was used, as well as a ious applica ions con ained
he ein o make he asks easible and acili a e s uden – eache in e ac ion.
Table 3. Desc ip ion o asks ca ied ou
TASK
P esen ial [P] /
Non-p esen ial
[NP]
G oup [G] /
Non-g oup
[NG]
Me hodology/Ac i e
Techniques
Weigh
G ades/To al
Tasks (%)
T1
Glossa y o e ms
P
G
Yes
10
T2
Commen a icle
P
G
No
5
T3
Pos e
P
G
Yes
25
T4
PBL p oblem
P
G
Yes
40
T5
Exe cises
P
NG
No
5
T6
P ess pack
NP
G
No
15
100%
Th ee o he asks (T1, T3 and T4) we e based on ac i e me hodologies, ep esen ing 75% o he
o al numbe o asks de eloped, and 2.25 poin s ou o 10 wi h espec o he inal ma ks o
he subjec . These asks we e g oup asks pe o med du ing class ime and, he e o e, hey could
be pe ec ly u o ed by he eache who was able o gi e hem he necessa y eedback o
comple e hei lea ning and achie e he objec i es p e iously se .
These p ac ices a ou ed in-dep h lea ning, collabo a i e lea ning, he capaci y o e lec ion
and he acquisi ion o ce ain ans e sal compe ences, such as au onomous lea ning,
eamwo k, capaci y o analysis and syn hesis, social and e hical esponsibili y and decision-
making and p oblem-sol ing. The asks we e wo ked on in 2-hou sessions, wi h each o he wo
subjec g oups, and in a class oom whe e ables and chai s a e mo able, which allows g oup
wo k o de elop mo e adequa ely. The whole lea ning p ocess was also suppo ed h ough he
use o ICTs by s uden s and eache s, hus imp o ing he in e ac ion, quali y and e ec i eness
o he lea ning p ocess.
The ask 1 (T1) consis ed o he elabo a ion o a glossa y o mac oeconomic e ms and was
ca ied ou using he pa icipa o y echnique ‘1+2+4’. This ac i i y was designed as an
in oduc o y ask whose ‘objec i es’ we e o iden i y he basic mac oeconomic concep s ha
appea in jou nalis ic ex s, o unde s and and de ine hese concep s and o unde s and ha he
subjec is ela ed o e en s in he economic eali y.
A ex was handed ou wi h h ee exce p s om cu en news epo s on di e en economic
opics: GDP, unemploymen and public de ici . In he i s phase, s uden s we e asked o ead
he ex indi idually and iden i y he ele an mac oeconomic e ms. In he second phase,
s uden s in pai s had o colla e he iden i ied concep s, ag ee on a lis o hem and make a i s
de ini ion o e ms wi hou ex e nal help. In he hi d phase, he s uden s, wo king in g oups o
ou , had o comple e a single lis o concep s and de ine hem, o which hey could make use
o hei mobile de ices (phones, lap ops, iPad e c.). Finally, he e was a sha ing session, whe e
A cos-Alonso, A., Ga cia-Al a ez, M & Azpu u, A. G., (2022). Mac oeconomics and ac i e me hodologies in highe educa ion: A
possible pai ing and a possible binomial. Cyp io Jou nal o Educa ional Science. 17(1), 193-204
h ps://doi.o g/10.18844/cjes. 17i1.6695
199
each g oup explained he concep s wo ked on and he es o he s uden s con ibu ed
commen s and imp o emen s. A s uden , appoin ed as sec e a y, w o e down he e ms and
de ini ions, comple ing a glossa y o e ms ha was pos ed on he eGela pla o m so ha all
s uden s had easy access o i .
The T3 ask was a mic o-PBL p ojec using he pos e echnique. Wi h he aim o wo king on he
ans e sal compe ence o social and e hical esponsibili y, s uden s we e asked o ca y ou a
small esea ch p ojec on a social issue using o he ypes o indica o s linked o he concep o
de elopmen (Human De elopmen Index, Ecological Foo p in , e c.) and o p esen i in pos e
o ma . The ‘objec i es’ o his mic o-p ojec we e o e lec on social and e hical esponsibili y,
o iden i y and unde s and al e na i e indica o s o measu ing social well-being, and o
syn hesise and dissemina e he in o ma ion in a clea and concise way.
In o de o ca y ou his ask, and bea ing in mind ha hese a e i s -yea s uden s who a e no
ye amilia wi h he di e en o ms o esea ch dissemina ion, in a p e ious class he eache
showed hem academic pos e s and explained he c i e ia hey had o mee . On he day o he
p ac ical, s uden s we e asked o o m g oups and discuss a social issue o in e es o hem. Each
g oup had o ca y ou a small esea ch p ojec on he selec ed opic and hen p esen he
esea ch in pos e o ma . The pos e s we e displayed in he class oom and a spokespe son o
each g oup explained he main ideas o hei esea ch o he es . S uden s pa icipa ed by
asking ques ions and p o iding commen s.
The T4 ask was an ac ual PBL. This p ac ice was ca ied ou when he as majo i y o he
syllabus had been co e ed, so ha he s uden s could unde s and he subjec in i s en i e y,
in e nalise i and see i s applicabili y o he cu en socio-economic eali y. The ‘objec i es’ o
his PBL we e o unde s and, analyse and ela e mac oeconomic concep s, use da a sea ch ools
and in e p e hem, show w i ing skills h ough a w i en p esen a ion and be able o sol e and
make decisions ega ding he p oblem posed.
The s uden s we e p esen ed wi h a p oblem o sol e, in o de o hem o de elop an ac i e
ole. They we e gi en a igge ing p oblem o sol e: ‘You ha e been appoin ed as economic
ad iso s o he Au onomous Communi y o he Basque Coun y (ACBC). You ha e o make an
analysis o he cu en economic si ua ion o he ACBC and, as ad iso s o he go e nmen ,
p opose an app op ia e iscal policy aking his si ua ion in o accoun ’. Ini ially, hey had o
iden i y he basic indica o s o he economic si ua ion o he ACBC and looked up he cu en
alue and end o hese indica o s in a da abase. Then, using hei abili y o in e p e hese da a
and unde s and he economic si ua ion o he ACBC, hey p oposed he mos app op ia e iscal
policy based on hei in e p e a ion. Finally, each g oup w o e a cohe en epo jus i ying hei
esponse and he coope a i e p ocess o adop ing he mos app op ia e solu ion.
Quali a i e me hodology:
The na a i e echnique o eache 's dia y acili a ed he collec ion o no es abou he ac i i ies
de eloped and hei assessmen , and o he s uden s' answe s o ques ions posed abou he
whole PBL lea ning p ocess (posi i e aspec s, di icul ies and p oblems encoun e ed, p oposals
o imp o emen ).
This collec ion made i possible o moni o he p ocess and compa e he s uden s’ skills and
knowledge, and o de ec elemen s o imp o emen a an ea ly s age.
2.3. Analysis and esul s
The analysis o he esul s is wo old. On he one hand, a quan i a i e analysis will be ca ied
ou ; and on he o he , a quali a i e analysis will be ca ied ou based on he collec ion o he
pupils’ oices in ela ion o he me hodology used, which in u n has se ed as a sou ce o
con as o he whole p ocess.
A cos-Alonso, A., Ga cia-Al a ez, M & Azpu u, A. G., (2022). Mac oeconomics and ac i e me hodologies in highe educa ion: A
possible pai ing and a possible binomial. Cyp io Jou nal o Educa ional Science. 17(1), 193-204
h ps://doi.o g/10.18844/cjes. 17i1.6695
200
2.4. Quan i a i e analysis
Analysing he academic esul s ob ained in his subjec , i was obse ed ha he pe cen age o
passes was conside ably highe among s uden s who ook he con inuous assessmen han
among hose who ook he inal assessmen . Mo e speci ically, o he o al numbe o s uden s
who sa he o dina y exams o he subjec , hose who op ed o con inuous assessmen passed
41%, while hose who we e assessed wi h a single inal exam had a 22.2% pass a e. The e o e,
i can be in e p e ed ha he ac o ollowing con inuous aining in which ac i e me hodologies
a e used imp o es he s uden s’ pe o mance and aining, a ou ing hei subsequen passing
a e.
I is also wo h men ioning ha 85% o he s uden s who ook he con inuous assessmen
passed, wi h no signi ican di e ences be ween he sexes, wi h bo h showing simila esul s.
Howe e , he 20-poin bias be ween he wo class g oups (G1: 75% and G2: 95%) could be due
o hei idiosync asies. (See Table 4 o he numbe o people who passed he p og ammed asks
and he con inuous assessmen .)
Table 4. Passes in he con inuous assessmen sys em by asks
App o ed con inuous ask-based assessmen
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
Con inuous
assessmen
app o ed
G1
[40]
36
F: 14
39
F: 16
40
F: 16
40
F: 16
14
F: 3
17
F: 11
30
[75%]
F: 12
M: 22
M: 23
M: 24
M: 24
M: 11
M: 6
M: 18
G2
[38]
37
F: 15
37
F: 15
36
F: 15
34
F: 13
12
F: 5
35
F: 15
36
[95%]
F: 15
M: 22
M: 22
M: 21
M: 21
M: 7
M: 20
M: 21
To al
[78]
73
F: 29
76
F: 31
76
F: 31
74
F: 29
26
F: 8
52
F: 26
66
[85%]
F: 27
M: 44
M: 45
M: 45
M: 45
M: 18
M: 26
M: 39
The da a poin o g ea e s uden success in hose ac i e me hodology asks (T1, T3 and T4) ha
we e guided by he eache , in e p e ing his as an achie emen in mo i a ing, s imula ing,
accompanying lea ning and enabling s uden s o achie e he objec i es se .
On he o he hand, i was obse ed ha he good esul s ob ained in he con inuous assessmen
did no co espond in numbe o pe cen age wi h he inal ma ks. An 85% pass a e in CA only
ensu ed a 41% pass a e in he inal ma ks o he subjec , less han hal . This was in e p e ed
no only as he esul o a s uden p o ile ha had jus made he academic leap om
baccalau ea e o oca ional aining o deg ee s udies (uni e si y), which may cause some
academic dispe sion among s uden s, who mus adap o new wo k dynamics, o social ci cles
and en i onmen s di e en om hei usual ones, and o decision-making and esponsibili ies
wi h which hey may no be amilia bu also as a possible misma ch be ween he me hodologies
used in he assessmen . While he CA had 75% o he asks based on ac i e and inno a i e
me hodologies, he inal es was s ill based on he adi ional es -exam me hodology, wi h he
la e ha ing a highe weigh on he inal ma ks (Table 1) and he CA ma k no being aken in o
accoun i a 3.2 was no eached in he inal exam (Table 5).
Table 5. Compa ison o passes acco ding o he assessmen sys ems
A cos-Alonso, A., Ga cia-Al a ez, M & Azpu u, A. G., (2022). Mac oeconomics and ac i e me hodologies in highe educa ion: A
possible pai ing and a possible binomial. Cyp io Jou nal o Educa ional Science. 17(1), 193-204
h ps://doi.o g/10.18844/cjes. 17i1.6695
201
App o ed con inuous
assessmen sys em
App o ed inal assessmen
sys em
G1 [45]
13
F: 6
1
F: 1
M: 7
M: 0
G2 [42]
19
F: 8
1
F: 1
M: 11
M: 0
To al [87]
32
F: 14
2
F: 2
M: 18
M: 0
In summa y, he dynamics o eaching inno a ion we e ele an o his subjec , bu no he
me hodological imbalance and disconnec ion in he di e en assessmen i ems leading o he
inal ma k, no he weigh o ele ance o each one o hem. Howe e , he did highligh he good
esul s ob ained among he s uden s in ac i e me hodology asks, no only in e ms o
quali ica ion bu , abo e all, in e ms o s uden mo i a ion and abili y o achie e he objec i es
and compe ences se ou in he subjec and he deg ee o which i is a ached. Mo eo e , he
inco po a ion o ICTs did no p esen any incon enience o he s uden s. This da a was also
con as ed and co obo a ed h ough he ield no es collec ed by he eache om he pupils,
which will be de ailed below.
2.5. Quali a i e analysis
The quali a i e analysis was ca ied ou on he basis o he s uden s’ oices collec ed in he
eache ’s dia y as he asks we e being comple ed, ex ac s o which a e shown below.
The e was no able accep ance o he change in eaching me hodology. The e was g ea e
mo i a ion among he s uden s, pa icula ly in ela ion o pa icipa o y and coope a i e wo k.
‘This wo king in g oups... is al eady seen in o he subjec s as well, and he u h is ha i 's good’.
The ac o ha ing o wo k om educa ional app oaches whe e he s uden s assumed a leading
ole was posi i ely alued: ‘Now we can make mo e con ibu ions in class, and on op o ha we
can alk abou social issues and link hem o mac oeconomics. I pu s us in he eal wo ld’ o
‘Now I unde s and be e he news I see on Ins ag am’. The applica ion o pa icipa o y
echniques was liked and amused he s uden s, al hough some imes hey we e pu o by i and
misgi ings a ose abou ‘was ing ime’ wi h ‘ hese hings’. ‘When a e you going o gi e i o us?’
o ‘Will we ha e ime o see e e y hing?’.
On he o he hand, as he e m p og essed, a igue was no iceable. No only due o his p ocess,
bu also o he ac ha o he subjec s mean a signi ican concen a ion o homewo k. ‘You all
send us assignmen s and all we do is wo k! You could coo dina e you sel es be e , because he
con inuous e alua ions keep us busy all he ime’.
The same a igue was obse ed in he eaching s a . The e y p ocess o designing and planning
he subjec on he one hand, and he cons an wo k o dynamiza ion, he con inuous ma king
p ocess, he equi emen s o o ma i e assessmen and eedback on he o he , mean a g ea e
eaching e o .
These ‘ oices’ se ed as a con as o he quan i a i e esul s ob ained. I he quan i a i e esul s
sugges ed ha he applica ion o ac i e me hodologies had been bene icial in e ms o lea ning
and g ading, he quali a i e esul s suppo ed his e idence.
4. Discussion
This is cons uc i is lea ning in which bo h, he eache and he s uden , play a
p oac i e ole, wi h he lea ne aking he leading ole.
