Impact of the economic crisis and the implementation of the EHEA on the bachelor’s degree in building in Spain

Abstract

After five years since the introduction of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in Spain, it is time to examine its achievements. This study focuses on technical architectural studies and its transformation into a Bachelor’s degree in Building. The analysis takes into account key issues such as the reduction in the number of new students due to the crisis in the Spanish construction sector that started in 2008. This paper presents a study of the impact of the Bologna Process on the abovementioned bachelor’s degree programme from the point of view of the first-year subject of Descriptive Geometry. The methodology is based on time series analysis and correlation parameters of data collected between 2005 and 2014. The results, on one hand, show high correlations (0.94–0.98) between the decrease in the number of students enrolled and some construction sector economic variables, such as construction employment. However, according to surveys, the vocations are still the main reason of career choice. On the other hand, they also show that the four-month period division of the subject established in the new bachelor programme has improved students’ academic performance. This is clearly shown in the range of students with marks over 7 out of 10. In conclusion, the Bologna Process has led to an improvement in the academic performance of first-year students and the development of highly motivated and engaged learners in the new Bachelor’s degree in Building programme. In contrast, it is shown that the implementation of theEHEAwill not reduce the number of years spent by students in their studies nor decrease the rate of students who drop out.