Improving the university teaching-learning process with ECO methodology: Teachers’ perceptions

Abstract

This study presents the results of research focused on university teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of ECO (Explore, Create, and Offer) methodology. Through teachers´ responses, the objective was to learn about the impact ECO has on both teaching and learning. The sample consists of 22 teachers from four academic fields; they implemented ECO methodology during the 2018–19 academic year with 1,350 undergraduate students and 175 Master’s-level students. The participating teachers belong to five universities: Universidad de Sevilla (Spain), Universitat de Barcelona (Spain), Universidade de Vigo (Spain), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain) and Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina). An exploratory and descriptive study was carried out, and the data were gathered from an online survey filled in by the teachers. Twenty-eight cases were obtained, one for each course that was involved in the project. The mean values were analysed by running a Kruskal-Wallis H test and ER2 for the effect size. In addition, the thematic analysis method was used to analyse the teachers' perceptions while representing their opinions faithfully. The results showed that ECO methodology has a very positive effect on the personal development of the teachers. ECO is a methodology that comes to have revolutionary effects, improving the relationship between teachers and students, who strengthen their commitment to their own learning. It is also an excellent means for connecting students with the social and professional world outside of academia.