Teaching research of high academic achievement groups

Abstract

In addition to initiatives from different countries, the Conselleria d’Educació, Culturei Esport de la Generalitat Valenciana, created the High Academic Achievement Groups in the academic year 2010/2011. This program was implemented with the main objective of boosting academic performance in the most outstanding students. This program has been installed in some degrees and subjects of all public universities in the Comunitat Valenciana offering an unique opportunity as a pioneer model of implementation of this type of groups and giving us a valuable feedback to improve and facilitate the implementation of this type of groups. With this purpose we conducted surveys at the University of Alicante where there is an ARA group in the degree of Biology. The surveys were aimed at teachers and students who attended different degrees in order to know the opinions of personnel involved and not involved in ARA groups. The results obtained show a high disinformation with respect to the ARA groups by the others groups, both in the advantages and the requirements to enter. Therefore, it would be desirable to give greater visibility and dissemination to ARA groups. In this way, potential students would have enough information to assess adequately whether they choose or not to enrol in the ARA group.