Practical implementation of the European Higher Education Area directives in horizontal, inter-curriculum courses

Resumen

This paper discusses the challenges involved in implementing the “Bologna” participative, student-centric, outcomes oriented methodology in horizontal subjects spanning multiple degrees and therefore a large number of students and groups. It analyzes the implementation project of an Engineering Management course which will be offered in several Bolognacompliant engineering degrees in the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid starting September 2009, and that is scheduled to be offered in over 30 groups per year by 2011. After analyzing the current implementation status of the European Higher Education Area in Spain and its methodological implications and challenges for high volume courses, the pilot projects carried out in preparation for this transition are examined. Based on them, the institution-level and course-level design approaches taken are discussed, in terms of how they address these challenges and which specific stumbling blocks must be overcome. Several complementary approaches that can facilitate the implementation process are then analyzed. It is concluded that careful advanced planning and testing, along with the facilitating approaches analyzed in this paper and the exploitation of synergies between research and education can increase the likelihood of a successful transition. Keywords: Bologna, EHEA, core courses, participative methodologies, curriculum development