Academic performance in water treatment subjects: Comparison between Chemical Engineering and Environmental Sciences

Abstract

As a result of the guidelines from the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) of an education system based on learning more than teaching, this study emerges with the objective of assessing the performance of students in theoretical and practice learning in Degree in Chemical Engineering and Degree in Environmental Sciences. The study was carried out on 208 total students and by selecting two common laboratory practices and theoretical classes in both degrees. The research concluded the existence of statistically significant differences between the students of both degrees in all aspects evaluated, including both the theoretical and practice learning. In this regard, the students of the Degree in Chemical Engineering showed a success rate which doubled the one got by the students of the Degree in Environmental Sciences, with a higher valuation in the academic performance by the students of the Degree in Chemical Engineering. Generally, the students obtained better results in the evaluation of the practice teaching than in the theoretical one, which strengthens the concept of the EHEA consisting of introducing a teaching more applied and focused on the obtaining of competences with future application in the job market.