This work presents the designs of two methodological proposals for the teaching and assessment of the learning-to-learn (LTL) competence in university degrees, in the context of a research project[1] focused on the development of an intervention model for its teaching and learning.

In previous investigations, our research group elaborated a model to define the LTL skill, considering its four dimensions according to literature: cognitive, metacognitive, affective-motivational and social/relational (Hoskins & Fredriksson, 2008) (Thoutenhoofd & Pirrie, 2013), and including a fifth dimension related to ethics (Gargallo et al. 2020). This dimension refers to responsibility and honesty in learning; being guided by civic and moral values, developing one's potential while respecting others and contributing to the creation of a fairer and more equitable society.

Despite the relevance of LTL competence for the students’ personal and professional development (OCDE, 2015; EU, 2006 & 2018), it has not been included, at least explicitly, among the generic competences for university degrees, although there are many that can be considered as part of it, such as collaborative work, planning, organisation and time management, autonomous and self-regulated learning, effective management of information and communication processes, among others. Nevertheless, the transversal and dynamic characteristics of this skill are the main difficulties that hinder the application of appropriate teaching and learning approaches aimed at its development and assessment in the educational context.

The implementation of active methodologies consisting of authentic tasks in which students take part in their own learning process and face real situations, such as problem solving, projects, portfolios or case studies, stands out among other more passive methodological proposals, facilitating the learning of the competence (Fernández, 2006). In previous experiences, case study methodology has provided a favourable learning environment for the development and assessment of LTL competence with the aim of providing learners with a better understanding of optimal learning strategies (Osete and García, 2020).

At the current stage of the research, different strategies for teaching and learning some of the specific dimensions and sub-dimensions of this skill are being developed and implemented. Given the wide range of dimensions and sub-dimensions of the learning to learn competence (21 in total), in these first experiences it was decided to limit the study to two sub-dimensions. Specifically, we present here the methodological proposal for the development of the specific sub-dimension of problem solving from the metacognitive dimension and the sub-dimension of ICT usage from the cognitive dimension. These will be tested in a first-year undergraduate course of the degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage from the Faculty of Fine Arts and in a second-year subject of the degree in Public Works Engineering from the School of Civil Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de València.

The implementation of these designs will constitute a first experimental approach for the validation of the methodological proposal and the achievement of the necessary adjustments in the teaching process for the development of the competence in further educational experiences.

[1] ‘The learning to learn competence in the university, its design and curriculum development. a model of intervention and its application in university degrees’ Project PID2021-123523NB-I00, funded by the MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF A way of making Europe.

Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies will be used for this study, consisting of a pre- and post-test experimental design, focus group with 7 students and 10 individual interviews. The QELtLCUS questionnaire (Gargallo et al., 2021) will be applied for the evaluation of competence. This questionnaire has a self-report format and comprises 85 items grouped into 5 scales assessing the 5 dimensions and 21 sub-dimensions listed above. The student answers the items using a Likert-type scale, agree-disagree. Experience 1: Degree in Public Works Engineering from the School of Civil Engineering The training programme was applied in the subject of Urban Planning and Territory, in the practical workshop of 20 face-to-face hours, which is developed throughout the course, with sessions of approximately two hours. The subject has been assigned 4.5 credits and 22 two-hour sessions and is aimed at enabling students to carry out simple territorial analyses using open-source tools and public databases. The sample consists of 24 students who, in addition to taking the pre- and post-tests and answering the QELtLCUS questionnaire, will be evaluated through six deliveries made according to a professional report-memory model (authentic evaluation). In this model of authentic assessment, students record their achievement of the different learning objectives throughout the course. Each submission is made at the end of each of the activities that make up the workshop and is assessed using a rubric. The rubric analyses the handling of the LTL competence component related to the efficient use of ICT. Experience 2: Degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage from the Faculty of Fine Arts The population consists of two groups of about 50 students, a control group and an experimental group, in the subject Fundamentals of Physics and Chemistry Applied to Conservation, with 6 credits and 30 two-hour sessions. In this case, the work on the problem solving sub-dimension is approached through the use of concept maps by means of 5 activities, starting with a previous training session on the elaboration of these maps. During the following activities, the concept map is used to identify the problem, the variables involved, the hierarchy and relationship between the concepts/properties involved, and finally the solution to the problem and its evaluation. The proposed design includes the delivery by the student of the results of each of the products of these phases. A rubric is used to evaluate the concept map.

The experiences presented aim to develop some of the dimensions of the learning to learn competence. In this sense, it is important to plan both the monitoring of learning (difficulties that may arise, decision-making, etc.) and the evidence to be collected at key moments, with the aim of accompanying the student in the process of growth in autonomy. Both proposals intend to focus on monitoring learning, in Experience 1 through a guided workshop in groups of two to measure progress in the effective use of ICT. Each group will have individual mentoring at mid-course which will be assessed using an observation guide. In Experience 2, planning in the form of 5 deliverables and conducting group tutorials at the beginning and middle of the process allows for this monitoring. The results obtained from both experiences by using different learning methodologies, will allow us to test and to adjust the monitoring and support during the work process and to analyse the evidence collected at key moments which, will enable us to identify good practices that contribute to the development of learning to learn competence in the university environment. On the basis of these findings, the aim is to increase the number of experiences to accomplish the development of a curricular design of competence in these degrees, and ultimately to achieve quality learning.

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