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Successful students are often concentrated in wealthier regions. This paper examines the possible impact of students' geographical location on their achievement, evaluated externally in bachelor's degree programs in economics (taught face-to-face or via traditional or virtual distance learning) in higher education institutions in Colombia. An analysis was conducted using georeferenced and geolocated models, based on students' assessment results from the Colombian Institute for Educational Assessment's (ICFES) FTP system and the Political and Administrative Division (DIVIPOLA) system. High achievement was recorded in face-to-face learning in central regions like Bogotá and Antioquia, but also in more remote regions in traditional distance learning, despite the fact that location did not exhibit statistically significant trends in the spatial autocorrelation measure Moran's I. Lastly, we discuss the trends found and the possible limitations of this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on epistemological beliefs has become widespread, but in recent years has opened the doors to a debate on how these beliefs should be characterized and assessed. It is within this context that this study seeks to characterize these beliefs as component premises of epistemological perspectives. The study evaluated 55 first-year university students from four academic disciplines by means of the Egyptian pyramid-building dilemma. Two epistemological perspectives were identified. One was empirical and supported by the premise that knowledge is an objective systematization of observations of an unequivocal reality embodied by just one possible explanation, and the other was an individual relativist perspective supported by the premise that knowledge is a subjective systematization of facts that gives rise to multiple but equally valid explanations. The paper discusses the nature of these premises, the utility of a dilemma-based methodology and the implications for educational practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper relates two basic aspects of assessment evaluation in higher education (Formative Assessment and Competency Assessment) with the existence of an Inter-University Network that carries five years working these issues systematically. First, we analyze the state of the Formative and Shared Assessment in Higher Education. Second, we explain the organization and operation of the Network of Formative Assessment in Higher Education: purpose, basic methodology of work, different actions and framework: innovation projects and educational research, seminars, action-research, dissemination of results, annual conferences and thematic work-groups. We also present the main results, organized into four sections: a-advantages; b-cons, problems and possible solutions; c-influence on academic performance; d-load of work required by teachers and pupils. In the third and final section of the paper we explain the fundamental aspects of Competency Assessment in Higher Education, the changes required and the importance of coherence among curriculum elements, in this sense, we provide a practical application that we hope will be helpful in achieving higher level of coherence in our curriculum subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]