Evolution and assessment of the academic results of the students of business studies after the implementation of module guides: a longitudinal study

Abstract

This paper analyses the results of the progressive implementation (between 2007 and 2010) of the methodological principles of the Bologna Declaration through a teaching network made up of several modules representative of the programme in Business Studies of the University of Alicante. We put forward an evaluation of the work of this network with regard to the new institutional context of higher education, and the methodological changes in teaching brought about by the Bologna Process. We perform a statistical analysis of the results obtained in each module that enables us to assess the use of the Module Guides as basic tool for the students to study and learn, as well as the results of the guides’ implementation. The homogeneity test carried out shows that, in general, there are few significant differences between the modules analysed over time, but also shows that in some modules there has been a relevant change in the students’ marks from one academic year to the next. As pointed out in previous research and in the literature, the general results must take into account the singularity of each module, and also independent variables like the number of students taking the module.