Duration of the project:

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering Ljubljana

Educational Research Institute Ljubljana
Faculty of Art Ljubljana
University of Primorska Faculty of Education Koper
University of Primorska Faculty of Health Sciences Izola
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering Ljubljana

The competence concept, it’s modelling, needs assessment and evaluation is challenging research in education as also transdisciplinary research. Competences in contemporary society can no longer be described as fixed set of skills; they represent a dynamic combination of abilities, skills and knowledge. Competences are context dependent and reflect person’s potential realised in different contexts. It is being developed in the processes of learning, education, training and work based activities. Witt in Lehmann identify in the internal dimension which is reflecting the individual characteristics and external dimension which is reflecting demands of working processes (2001). Boyantzis defines competences as individual abilities which reflect motives, values, self-image, social roles, skills and knowledge which individual is applying and are connected with the results in the work place (1982, 2008). Competences as actualised potentials which individual apply in a concrete situation. Klieme in Leutner define competences and as context-specific cognitive dispositions that are acquired and needed to successfuly cope with certain situations or tasks in specific domains (Klieme in Leutner 2006). In the education the demands for accountability shift the focus on the competency based curriculum (Wise, 1979; Slavin, 2002). Mclelland as alternative to measurement of general cognitive abilities identifies testing of competency with the criterion sampling with the testing of authentic tasks from real life work based environments (1973). Competencies in bologna competency based study programmes provide a framework for curriculum design. Longitudinal survey within old and bologna programs will provide longitudinal assessment data during study, after graduation in employment to identify how the competences have been developed, how students perceive professional competences, how learning environment influence students approaches to learning and competence development, how competences are actualised when graduates enter labour market and get employed. Assessment of competences are also an important focus of this study. Within the proposed research will measurement of small segment of generic competences take place. The level of competency acquired will be in the focus of measurement. In this way the topic of this research will also be a psychometric measurement of competencies. The instruments will be designed and developed also as an example how to design competency assessment instruments and as a case to be applied within different disciplines and subject specific competencies. Purpose: (1) The development of instruments for needs assessment and evaluation of competences of graduates. (2) State of the art and analysis of the competences divide among competence needs (in work environments, university and students themselves) and actualised competences (of graduates in the selected fields of technology, education, psychology and health). Objective: (1) Instruments for competence potential assessment and the analyse of divide among needs and realised competences; Instruments will support the competence management in different areas. (2) Longitudinal analyses competence potential in technology in the field of civil engineering, geodesy and electrical engineering, in education, psychology and in health. Participants will be student, graduates and employers. The analysis will cover state of the art and divide/disparity between stakeholders. In the study, different methodological approaches will be combined – a survey study (quantitative approach) will be combined with selected qualitative research methods. A combined approach is necessary to obtain a holistic view about the research object. Quantitative data will allow for generalizability, whereas qualitative data will bring a deeper and informationally richer insight, and possibly provide some findings that could not be foreseen at the beginning of the study.