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Area: Training in Project Engineering

―Selected Proceedings from the 13th International Congress on Project Engineering‖. (Badajoz, July 2009)

COOPERATIVE MODEL FOR LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT OF

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCES IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

ACCORDING TO IPMA-NCB MODEL

Ignacio de los Ríos

Antonio Ros

Isabel Ortiz

Antonio Fernández

Mercedes del Río

Andrés Romera

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Abstract

The development of behavioural competences is one of the biggest challenges in current higher education teaching models. In this paper a cooperative model, following NCB-IPMA, is presented, as a result of an interdisciplinary Educational Innovation Project (EIP), directed to boost a methodological change from learning and assessment of behavioural competences in Project Management. This cooperative model is being developed and applied by an interdisciplinary group of professors from the UPM, with four main goals: 1) Start a methodological change in the UPM within ESHE framework and taking International Project Management Association (IPMA)‘ standards as a starting point; 2) Design, test and set up a new learning and assessment model from IBC, the project based learning approach and focused on students‘ behavioral competences; 3) Create an interdisciplinary group to

collaborate with different UPM colleges and levels –degree and postgraduate courses– opening up new communicative possibilities, educational innovation, cooperation, and making possible the development of UPM students‘ behavioural competences. 4) To connect training with the

certification of professional competences, guaranteeing the training of UPM Graduates in order to obtain the IPMA‘s certification in Project Management.

The scope of the model‘s application is as follows: three groups of Educational Innovation, 22

degree and postgraduate subjects, 8 teaching groups, 8 UPM colleges, 1215 students and 20 expert professors on project management.

Key words: European Space for Higher Education. Educational Innovation Projects. Certification. Projects Management. Behavioural competences. International Project Management Association (IPMA).

1. Introduction

This project is framed in the current context of change in European universities and Higher Education institutions, where diverse factors determine the convenience on the definition of new Educational Models. These new challenges and changes are raised in the different agreements in the EU, among which it is worth mentioning the ―Sorbonne Declaration‖, 1998

(Allegre et al., 1998), the ―Bologna Declaration‖, 1999 (European Commission, 1999), the ―Lisbon European Council‖, 2000 (European Council, 2000) and the ―Berlin Declaration‖, 2003

(European Commission, 2003). By means of all these agreements the commitment of building an European Space for Higher Education is achieved and ratified (European Commission,

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2001), assuming the challenge of turning the European Union into a more competitive and dynamic society based on knowledge.

The project to be presented must fit into this context of change and, specifically, in the field of project management teaching in the UPM, as a pilot experience for the establishment of the European Space for Higher Education (ESHE).

This ESHE‘s challenge demands new models of educational innovation based on the

competences and aptitudes, and implies new designs of subjects and learning objectives, that affect both teaching-learning methodologies and assessment. Within this context of change, appears the so called —life-long learning— (European Council, 2000, European Commission, 2003) understood as any learning activity performed throughout life with the aim of improving knowledge, competences and aptitudes with a personal, civic, social or work related perspective (European Commission, 2000).

In Spain, (RD 26th June 2007) the official university education arrangement considers the necessity of including competences – general and specific of qualifications – in order to improve Higher Education and make it easier the graduates‘ employability.

In a great number of disciplines – not only technical- certain competences are necessary in order to solve problems, that imply a global vision in order to combine and arrange all the necessary resources that allow to transform an idea into reality. This new approach implies that universities start methodological changes with approaches directed to assessment by competences. Lessons and international models of people certification, may be useful to enrich the systems of assessment of competences as well as to bridge the gap between training in competences and people certification.

In this international field of people certification it is worth mentioning several factors that have an influence on the process of certification within standards of the international regulation UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17024:2003. European co-operation for Accreditation (EA), which brings together all the European national organizations for accreditation; the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) which brings together the accreditation entities in the fields of systems, products and people certification. As for certification organizations, it is worth mentioning the International Personnel Certification Association (IPC) and the International Project Management Association (IPMA). The key concepts by which these processes of international certification are developed are gathered in the regulation UNE/IEC 17024:2003 in which the general requirements that all the organizations responsible for the certification of people must have are defined. According to this international regulation the term ―competence‖ is defined as proved

aptitude to apply knowledge and/or skills and, whenever suitable, proved personal attributes.

Despite these international standards, different models of certification of behavioural competences appear, with different approaches in their preconceptions, processes and systems of certification. However, all these models usually agree in the fact that competence involves a group of knowledges, attitudes and personal abilities, that complement each other in such a way that people perform effectively the professional tasks.

2. Educational Innovation Groups as the driving force of change.

In the previous context of change, the project has its origins in the policies adopted by the UPM to promote, from Educational innovation, the teaching restructuring of university education as a strategic line of action of all the Technical Colleges of the Technical University of Madrid. Bearing in mind that this boost and restructuring in the teaching activity is a complex challenge, together with an enthusiastic and predisposed group, some other people coexist, who

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disappointed by previous experiences or disillusioned by little stimulating educational policies, accept that the current teaching situation is one of the best possible, with the students and resources that University offers (UPM. 2006). For this restructuring, the Technical University of Madrid, within the General Education Quality Project, decides as the main line of action, the promotion and subsequent acknowledgement of ―Educational Innovation Groups‖. This body is

established as an original investment in the current university scene.

Within this framework the Government Council of the UPM approved in May 2005 the Institutional Quality Programme in which the first pilot announcement of Educational Innovation Projects was included. After this announcement, the EIG-Project is approved as a group set up by people that show a career, experience, training and a future project of sufficient consistency (UPM, 2006), specifically in the field of engineering projects. EIG-Project starts with the main objective of conceiving a new teaching dimension around Projects as educational elements suitable to generate an early professional experience and training from competences (technical, contextual and personal).

From EIG-Project the importance of the End of Degree Project in the UPM students‘ learning process has been demonstrated, as an instrument to incorporate competences elements, such as aspects related to prevention of labour risks or safety and health. After two years of joint work among its members, EIG-Project is consolidated as a basic unit of stable collaboration for the boost and development of Educational Innovation in the field of the Technical University of Madrid (De los Ríos, I; Ortiz Marcos, I. et al 2009). Its creation is framed in the global strategy of promotion of Educational Innovation in the UPM and since 2008 in the so-called ―Troncalidad UPM‖ (UPM, 2008).

3. The learning and assessment of behavioural competences cooperative model in project management.

The learning and assessment of behavioural competences in project management operational model that is presented includes the following stages (Figure 1): a) definition of shared goals within an own line of Educational Innovation framed into University‘s priorities and into ESHE; b) development of joint rules and common concepts that clarify and regulate the process of learning and assessment of competences; c) setting of elements of competences in order to include them in the new syllabuses; d) design of organizational measures and common instruments between the different teams in the different Colleges; e) implementation of the model in different degree and postgraduate subjects; f) appraisal and exchange of experiences.

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Figure 1. Cooperative model for learning and assessment of competences in project management

3.1 Definition of shared goals

The model is elaborated in a collaborative manner within the Educational Innovation Project (EIP) in which several UPM‘s Educational Innovation Groups take part (EIP-Project, EIP-GICAC, Edu-Tecna), 8 teaching teams from 8 UPM‘s colleges and 22 professors. For this reason the first stage of the model consisted of defining the shared goals that guarantee the interdisciplinarity of the diverse teams, both by the colleges involved and by the different fields of engineering projects in which the project is implemented; the four fields are the following: the projects linked to natural sciences, industrial projects, construction and architecture projects and information technologies projects.

On the one hand, after a revision of international literature on models of professional competences (Guerrero, De los Ríos, Díaz-Puente, 2008; Schneckenberg & Wildt, 2006; Team & Chivers, 1998), it was considered adequate to develop the goals within the so-called holistic models that consider the certification of technical, contextual and behavioural competences in the international context. Despite that most of the models of competences pay little attention to ethics and values (Team & Chivers, 1998), from the beginning it was considered essential to incorporate these elements as part of the goals of the cooperative model.

Although the professional field of Project Management (PM) has its origins in the 60‘s in the

United States, in the last few years it is undergoing an important development worldwide (Kerzner, 2000; De Cós, 1997; Caupin & Le Bissonais, 1998; Cleland, 1990; Gareis, 1990; Kerzner, Whitten, 1985) as a discipline of horizontal nature. For this reason it was agreed to

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develop the goals of the model from methodological foundations of behavioural competences for Project Management, defined at international level, within the standards of the Internacional Project Management Association (IPMA).

Although other teams take part in the EIP, the EIG-project was the centre of attention, due to its career and experience in the field of competences and its relation with IPMA. A great number of EIG-project‘s members, who are also members of the Spanish Association of Project Engineering (AEIPRO), are linked with IPMA and have taken part in the elaboration of the body of teaching of the projects. In the following table the stages and goals of the EIG-project on educational innovation projects in the last few years are summarized.

Stages Goals of the EIG-project Number of

Colleges

Year 2005-06

External assessment and approval of the EIG-project as ―consolidated group of Educational innovation, set up by teachers related to Projects Engineering who show a career, experience, training and a consistent future project.

4

Year 2006-07

To create a new teaching dimension for the End of Degree Projects, encouraging a multidisciplinary and stable collaboration among Projects Engineering teachers and raising educational innovation actions.

4

Year 2007-08

To develop an active learning methodology in order to consider and spread the preventive action in the End of Degree Projects, in collaboration with IRSST.

5

Year 2008-09

To suggest a learning and assessment model which incorporates the behavioural competences in Project Management within IPMA international standards, reinforcing the comprehensive training of the UPM‘s students by the acquisition of competences and transversal values.

8

Table 1. EIG-project‘s general objectives on the field of projects in the last few years.

After the first workshops, EIP‘s objectives focused on the following points: A) Creation of a

stable interdisciplinary team, with coordinators in diverse Colleges, to initiate a cooperative methodological change oriented to ―Troncalidad UPM‖ in the field of IPMA international competences; B) To implement a learning and assessment model which integrates the behavioural competences in project management in different degree and postgraduate subjects of different UPM academic qualifications; C) To support the comprehensive training of UPM students by the acquisition of ―behavioural competences‖, incorporating ethics and values; D)

To facilitate the international accreditation of the students as Project Management Associate IPMA-Level D.

3.2 Elaboration of joint rules and common concepts

The elaboration of joint rules and common concepts that clarify and regulate the process of learning and assessment of competences was raised as an essential aspect of the model. Nowadays Project Management is considered as a discipline of transversal nature, understood as application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to the project‘s activities in order to

fulfill the project‘s requirements (IPMA, 2001). At first stages, joint activities were developed to define common standards and to analyze different experiences of Project-Based Learning, PBL among the teams (De los Ríos, Cazorla, et al, 2008). On the other hand, individual and group

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meetings started to take, these meetings were held with different projects‘ coordinators of Educational Innovation with the following objectives: encourage synergies between projects which work from the PBL and the improvement of the competences in project management, to become familiar with the difficulties and results by means of the actions from the PBL, and finally, to collect specific proposals that help the improvement of the projects linked to educational innovation, especially the improvement of competences. These actions were complemented with interviews to other EIP coordinators and made from the UPM‘s Vice-rector‘s Office for Strategic Planning in the academic year 2007-2008. The dynamics of participation held in the group meetings favored the positive evaluation of those attending, both due to the importance of keeping communication channels and impact on personal motivation (UPM, 2008).

In these activities of communication and participation with the coordinators, Technical Workshops on the IPMA model and exchange of experiences were included. In these workshops we counted on the presence of Jesús Martínez Almela, as a member of the IPMA Experts Committee, OCDP (Organization for Project Managers Certification) belonging to AEIPRO and Certified Project Director (IPMA-Level A). On the other hand, the professor Adolfo Cazorla, as UPM‘s Vice-rector and Certified Senior Project Manager (IPMA-Level B) facilitated the channels to know the new institutional framework in the UPM in order to implement the model in the different Colleges, in accordance with the joint rules and common concepts accepted by the parts involved.

In order to facilitate and to make viable the process of establishment of the model, among the coordinators of the teams of the PIE, there are Managers and Assistant Managers of the Colleges, as members of the Academic Committees of the new Degree and Postgraduate qualifications to the ESHE, as well as with members of the Educational Innovation Committee of the UPM responsible for supporting new educational methodologies based on competences and aptitudes. The figures show moments of one of the workshops, as a mean for integration of the IPMA competences within the framework of the ESHE establishment process.

Figure 2. Expert-Multidisciplinary Workshop on concepts of the IPMA model

3.3 Determination of the elements of the competences

As a general rule, in the university community, professors show a general concern about the training based on competences, about what competences they must assume, how to teach them and how to assess them (UPM, 2008). In view of this general concern, tackling the model from defined competences within international standards –those of the Internacional Project Management Association (AEIPRO, 2006)- facilitated the path to reach consensus in order to include them in the educational model from ―Troncalidad UPM‖. The adjustment of one of the elements of competence is shown in Table 2.

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Element of competence

Description of the objectives in the element of competence

Behavioural competences

Has basic knowledge on professional competences and understands thier relevance for the professional development. Is familiar with the models of certification of people around the world. Is familiar with the training process for IPMA certification.

Team work Knowledge related to team work and development of the capacity to work as part of a team, to integrate one self and collaborate actively in the obtaining of common objectives.

Commitment and motivation

Knowledge about commitment and motivation. Shows commitment and motivation by means of a positive, responsible and enthusiastic attitude, transmitting it to others.

Creativity Knowledge and capacity to think and act originally and imaginatively to solve problems

Efficiency Knowledge related to the capacity to use time and resources profitably in order to produce the agreed deliverables and satisfy the expectations of the parts involved.

Leadership Knowledge about how to develop leadership qualities in the execution of team work.

Self-control Knowledge about how to incorporate a disciplined and systematic focus to face day work, changes in requirements and stressful situations.

Self-confidence Capacity to show the different points of view with the necessary authority in order to guarantee effective communication with the project team and the parts involved so the decisions that affect the project are made with full knowledge of their consequences.

Information and Documentation

Knowledge about compilation, selection, storage and data recovery for a project.

Communication Knowledge and capacity to communicate effectively in writing. Transmit information correctly, coherently and clearly using the net.

Open attitude Capacity to receive favorably other‘s contributions and accept criticism constructively.

Consultation Capacity for opinion exchange. To reason out and listen, presenting solid and well structured arguments.

Negotiation Knowledge and capacity to solve disagreements related to team work-project to reach a satisfactory solution for everybody.

Reliability Knowledge and capacity to fulfill agreed commitments and show responsibility, correct behavior, rigor and confidence.

Conflicts and Crisis Knowledge and skills to deal with conflicts and crisis that may arise between different people and parts involved in the project.

Relaxation Knowledge about how to relieve tension in difficult situations, eliminate tension or give new energy to a group of people whenever they need.

Orientation towards results

Knowledge and capacity about how to focus attention in the key objectives in order to achieve optimum results in the development processes.

Appreciation of values

Knowledge related to the appreciation of values and the capacity to perceive other people‘s intrinsic qualities and understand their points of view.

Ethics Knowledge about professional ethics and deontology.

Table 2. Elements of behavioural competences for the general objectives of the subjects.

In this way, the cooperative model is implemented in the different subjects with the concepts and a common standard approved by the team as a starting point and is oriented to improve students‘ competence regarding their personal knowledge and attitudes related to

internationally renown personal behavior elements, in order to guarantee their employability in the professional world.

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3.4 Design of organizational measures and instruments

The different members that take part in the model are made up of personnel linked to the UPM that bring together in order to work more effectively in a common strategy, whose collaboration tries to reach simultaneously the general educational objectives defined by the University and, the specific objectives defined at the level of the different teams at work. The start of the model is directly linked to a stable and interdisciplinary teamwork in order to give continuity in the activities at the university, sharing efforts, means and resources, and whose performance as a team achieves a greater impact. For this reason, besides adopting concepts and reach a consensus about the elements of competence, some other organizational measures and common instruments were designed between the teams in the different Colleges in order to facilitate the implementation and stability in time. In Table 3 the grouping of elements into units is shown, in order to make coordination easier between the teams.

Coordination unit Elements to include Responsible teams

Unit 1: Behavioural competences

Concept of Competences Certification model IPMA

Agricultural Engineering School EIG-Project

Unit 2: Teamwork 1.07 Teamwork 2.02 Commitment and motivation 2.09 Efficiency 2.07 Creativity

Agricultural Engineering School Industrial Engineering School

Unit 3: Leadership

2.01 Leadership 2.03 Self-control 2.04 Self-confidence

Public Works School

Unit 4: Communication 1.17 Information and documentation 1.18 Communication 2.06 Open attitude

Architecture School Agricultural Engineering School Computer Science School

Unidad 5: Negotiation 2.10 Consultation 2.11 Negotiation 2.13 Reliability

Technical Architecture School

Unit 6: Conflicts and crisis 2.08 Orientation towards results 2.12 Conflicts and crisis 2.05 Relaxation

Civil Engineering School

Unit 7: Appreciation of values and deontology

2.14 Appreciation of values 2.15 Ethics

Forest Engineering School Industrial Engineering School

Table 3. Grouping of elements of competences for the distribution of tasks between the teams

On the other hand, another objective of the model is to bridge the gap between training and certification of competences, for this reason it became necessary to release and facilitate the access to international certification in the IPMA model from the subjects, as Project Management Associate IPMA-Level D, which only demands to show the knowledge of the elements of competences, without professional experience.

3.5 Implementation of the model into different subjects

The implementation of the model is developed at different degree and postgraduate levels, with an average of 40 students in each group.

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School Subjects Type Level Total Number

of Students

Technical Architecture School

1. Extension of Materials T G 40

2. Extension of Organization11 T G 120

3. Extension of Safety and Prevention T G 40

Agricultural Engineering

4. Projects T G 62


5. Integrated Rural Development Projects O G 38


6. Behavioural competences: development O G 63

7. Project formulation and management T PG 23

8. Participative strategies: Project Management T PG 22

9. Basis for competence in Project Management O PG 18

10. Planning and sustainable Management of Projects of Rural-Local Development

T PG 23

11. Agricultural Robotics O G 18

12. Simulation and Optimization of processes O G 22

Industrial Engineering

13. Engineering Projects T G 470

14. Projects of cooperation O G 70

15. Projects management O G 20

Public Works Engineering

16. Railways, cable railways and pipeline transport T G 43

Architecture 17. Spanish Architecture: Popular architecture O G 40

Civil Engineering

18. End of Degree Project T G 20

19. Projects (engineering geologist) T G 63

Computer Sciences

20. Safety Management in Information Systems O G 63

21. Basics of the Government and management of the Services of Information Technologies

O G 42

22. Basics of the government and management of Safety of Information Technologies

O G 45

23. Computing Function in companies O PG 25

24. Computing Audit O PG 38

Total number of students 1428

Table 4. Implementation of the model in degree and postgraduate subjects

The implementation of the model into the subjects has adopted certain homogeneity in the teaching activities, not only in the concepts, but in the teaching methodologies and the assessment system. Although the Project Based cooperative learning learning predominates as a focus for the learning and assessment of competences in he field of Project Management (Johnson, 1999; Padmanadhan & Katti, 2002; Parsons, et al 2005), other methods and activities have been developed. The process of approximation to reality is complemented with group activities in the classroom and participative workshops for the course project using active methods (Johnson, 1999) to achieve direct participation of the student in the development of preliminary plans, similarly to a real professional work. In these sessions the professor is a counselor of the tasks performed by the students as well as a incentivador of learning. With these sessions it is achieved a learning process based on active knowledge absorption by the student (De los Ríos, Cazorla et al, 2008). The active method – teaching by ―doing‖ (Bartkus, 2001; Hackett, Martin and Rosselli, 1998; Johnson, 1999) is presented in the field of projects as having special relevance, originality, creativity and common sense that may be liked together

11 ―Extension of Organization‖ reaches 120 students, 40 students in each group with three professors.

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with scientific and technical knowledge that students have received throughout their studies. In table 4 it is shown the average workload in each teaching activity.

COMMON ACTIVITIES Hours

Masterly lesson using transparencies or Power Point 20 Group workshops performed during the course of the lesson with cooperative learning 18 Final team work (generally outside the classroom reflecting in the final mark) 10 Learning based on problems (teamwork problems solving) 4 Case method (suggest a real situation to be solved by teamwork in a period of time) 5 Project Based Learning: carrying out of a course project in a team. 40 Use of Information Technologies (moodle platform, teleteaching, etc.) 17 Presentations to show progress of the project and participatory workshops 6 Number of hours of dedication 120

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES Self-assessment (competence elements questionnaire) 8 Final examination 2 Continuous assessment 4 Periodical tests 4 Group exercises 6 Individual work 2 Co-assessment (assessment among students) 4 Intermediate presentations of the progress of the course project. 4 Number of hours of dedication (assessment activities) 34

Total student workload (hours of dedication) 154

Table 4. Model implementation in degree and postgraduate subjects

The workshops -2 hours long each- consist of teamwork in groups of five students developing practical activities about the different theoretical contents exposed in the masterly lessons. The workshops performed are useful to see the practical application of the elements of competence in real and specific cases (documents of the project; buying management; Safety and Health and Labor Risks Prevention; Structures of Decomposition of the Project; Time management; Project‘s risks management).

Figure 3. Moment of one of the group workshops for the application of the competences

3.6 Appraisal and experiences exchange

The last stage of the model is associated with the appraisal and experiences exchange. During the implementation of the model, the teaching actions were complemented with experience exchange workshops between the professors of the different centres. The participatory dynamics made these meetings the main channel of communication and valuation of experiences. Apart from the exchange of experiences, from the EIG-Project‘s site a new way

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for the diffusion of the activities was designed (in moodle) in order to share the common resources elaborated.

Figure 4. GIE-Project‘s site as a means of communication and information of resources

One of the main experiences is the necessity to set out a model of these characteristics as a development into stages, since a great amount of actions require a maturity and a longer-term development in the ESHE, fostering continuity of actions and avoiding the loss of work. The exchange of experiences during the process of implementation of the model has had an influence on the design of the new syllabuses in the ESHE framework; specifically in the following Degrees:

In the new Degree in ―Building Engineering‖ of the College of Technical Architecture, in the 4th year, new subjects have been defined: Technical Projects (6 ECTs), Process Management (3 ETCs), Prevention and Safety (3 ECTs) and Competences for Projects Management in accordance with IPMA (6 ECTs); which refer to the competences for project management.

In the new Master‘s Degree, recently approved by ANECA, in ―Planning of Projects of Rural Development and Sustainable Management‖, administered by the group GESPLAN of the

Polytechnic University of Madrid new subjects are included from the Competences for Project Management according to IPMA: ―Projects Formulation and Management‖ (5 ECTs)

―Rural/local development Project Management: Competence Baseline (5 ECTS);

Methodologies and participatory strategies in the management of development (2 ECTS) and ―Project management in rural development: Competence baseline‖ (2 ECTS).

The Master‘s Degree ―Erasmus Mundus‖, Rural-Local Development Project Management Agris Mundus (60 ECTs), has been presented to be verified as Registration of Competence Development Programmes for the training in competences according to the IPMA model. It is a pioneering Master‘s Degree in Spain and in the European Union which is oriented to

validate the competence of the individuals about their knowledge, experience and attitude towards Projects Management and Rural-Local Development Programmes within IPMA standards.

In the Degree ―Expert on Cooperation for Development‖, administered from the College of Agricultural Engineering, are also included subjects of projects from the focus of IPMA competences: ―Integrated Rural Development Projects‖ and ―Outstanding personal and

systemic competences‖.

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In all these new Degrees and subjects, professors of the EIP and external agents take part, in order to develop educational cooperation activities that make it easier the projects based learning. One of these exernal agents is the Regional Institute for Safety and Health at Work of Madrid, which by an agreement with the Technical University of Madrid makes it easier the training of engineers and architects in technical, personal and contextual competences to enter the job market in the best conditions and with a culture of prevention. The Spanish Association of Project Engineering (AEIPRO), linked to the International Project Management Association (IPMA), has played an active role in the implementation of the model. As a professional association, AEIPRO takes active part in the development of the IBC (Competence Baseline) of IPMA, therefore helping to boost this methodological change in the UPM within the ESHE‘s framework, aiming to facilitate the certification in Projects Management of the UPM´s students within International Project Management Association (IPMA)‘s standards.

4. Results and discussion on the implementation of the model

The global results of the implementation of the model are summarized as follows:

1) A methodological change in the UPM has started within the ESHE‘s framework and taking

the International Project Management Association (IPMA)‘s standards as a starting point.

2) A new learning and assessment model has been designed and implemented from the IBC, by incorporating the Project Based Learning approach and focusing on the students‘ behavioral

competences. The model has been applied in a first stage into 22 subjects in the degree and postgraduate educational levels, with 1428 students involved.

3) A stable interdisciplinary group has been set up - 22 professors that speak the same language – for the collaboration among colleges of the UPM at different levels – pre-degree and postgraduate – opening up new chances of communication, educational innovation, cooperation, and making possible the development of behavioural competences in the students of the UPM. At present, 8 teaching teams has been created in the following colleges of the UPM: College of Agricultural Engineering, College of Industrial Engineering, College of Civil Engineering, College of Forest Engineering, College of Technical Architecture, College of Public Works Engineering, College of Architecture and Computer Sciences.

4) The training has been linked to the certification of professional competences, making it easier the training of the UPM‘s Graduates for the Certification of Professional Competences

(IPMA). Actions of certification have been carried out in the UPM according to the IPMA 4LC model. 8 professors from the Educational Innovation Group have been certified in order to understand thoroughly the concepts of the model and its mechanisms for assessment.

In short, with the model it has been confirmed, in the Technical University of Madrid, a clear position to incorporate the competences in Projects Management, and to set the goals towards ESHE, the quality in education and the connections with professional certification. At present, the model offers an unbeatable opportunity to make progress in this direction, boosting from Educational Innovation, the teaching renewal in university education in the field of project engineering, as a strategic line of action to be followed by all the Technical Colleges of the Technical University of Madrid. The diverse fields of engineering projects in which the model is implemented – projects linked to natural sciences, industrial projects, building and architecture projects and information technology projects – make it possible to make progress towards the challenge of coordination in higher education.

The main difficulties found in the model are related to the assessment of competences; which turns out to be complicated due to the professors‘ different conceptions of the term, to the

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workload that means the continuous assessment for the teaching staff and to the fact that the students are not used to this assessment system.

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Acknowledgments

It is acknowledged the collaboration of IPMA and AEIPRO due to their participation in the Educational Innovation Project ―cooperative model for learning and assessment of behavioural competences in project management‖ financed in the ESHE by the Vice-rectorship of Strategic Planning of the UPM. AEIPRO has supported and co-financed some joint actions of training within the EIP.

Correspondence (For further information contact):

Ignacio de los Ríos. Área de Ingeniería de Proyectos – Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. GIE-Project. GESPLAN (Grupo I+D Planificación y Gestión del Desarrollo Rural-Local) Dpto. Proyectos y Planificación Rural. Avda. Complutense, s/n. 28040 Madrid. Telephone number (0034) 91 336 32 www.grupogesplan.es

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