A preliminary study of teachers' perception of core competencies for undergraduate students

Background. The study reported in this paper analysed how tertiary teachers assessed a number of competencies, such as information search and communication, organization, and analysis, and decision making among others, every undergraduate student is expected to learn during his/her university studies. Method. Trigwell and Prosser's (2004) Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI) was administered to firstyear lecturers along with a list of core competencies. Results. Analyses showed that opinions as to which competencies are highly essential for students varied in terms of teachers' approach to teaching, sex, and branch of knowledge. Most participants, however, assessed "Communication skills", "Time management", "Critical thinking", and "Application of knowledge" as the most important competencies for students. Conclusions. Preliminary results provide an insight into which competencies are regarded as most necessary for students and may guide universities as they prepare for the evaluation and accreditation process they are soon to face upon implementation of programmes. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. on behalf of Colegio Oficial de Psicologos de Madrid.