Evaluation of Learning Attributes in Higher Education: A Methodological Guide Validation

The accreditation of university programs by agencies affiliated to the Washington Accord requires the evaluation of learning attributes. This implies the design of new pedagogical and assessment approaches. Despite the existence of previous studies that report results on the evaluation of learning attributes, it was not possible to find qualitative research informing about the experience of professors using step-by-step methodological guides. Consequently, this research reports a case study on the identification of the strengths and weaknesses of a methodological guide for evaluating learning attributes. The case study was conducted through a focus group with the participation of experienced professors in the evaluation of attributes in engineering programs. The study allowed us to determine that the methodology is robust and only requires minor modifications, and it also made it possible to identify contextual factors that institutions should consider during attribute evaluation processes. Although the aim of the study was to validate the methodological guide, this research also enabled us to delve into the subjective experiences of the participants and provided valuable input for institutions. The main contribution of this study is the experience and procedure used to validate a methodological guide, for the evaluation of learning attributes in a university context.