Abstracts - Earli

assessment instrument we measured the level of competences possessed at time of graduation andthe degree of competences that higher education graduates need to perform their professionaltasks. Our paper will address the issue of factors influencing the level of key competencespossessed at time of graduation and, especially, the role of the learning environment. The researchquestion will be examined empirically using data of a survey among higher education graduateswho passed their final examination in 2005.Competences and vocational successEdith Braun, Freie Universität Berlin, GermanyThe Bologna Process aims for more vocational orientated learning in higher education. As aconsequence, students are supposed to develop competences, which are useful for their later work.The idea is that competences gained within higher education are important for students’ lateroccupational careers. The empirical question is: are competences predictive for later vocationalsuccess? This study used a longitudinal sample to address this question. In the year 2000, 215graduates were asked to estimate their own competence level at the end of their study programmes.In 2005 the same graduates were asked about their occupational success, operationalised by howmuch money they earn and how satisfied they are in their current job. In a cross lagged paneldesign the vocational success was predicted by competences (Chi square /df = 1.92, RMSEA =.07), but not always in the intended direction. Finally, the results of this study and the usedconstructs of competences and vocational success will be discussed.Work experience in higher education and its effects on competences and occupational outcomesAlan Woodley, The Open University, United KingdomBrenda Little, The Open University, United KingdomLore Arthur, The Open University, United KingdomEmployers in the United Kingdom have long complained that the graduates they take on do notpossess the basic skills and competences that are required for their jobs. The list of deficienciesvaries across employers and industries, but ranges from basic grammar to general communicationsskills, from applied knowledge to entrepreneurial skills. One approach to remedy thesedeficiencies has been to include a period of work experience within the student’s degree course. Inour paper we will examine whether work experience has a positive effect on a graduate’sdevelopment and on their subsequent career. We will use data from the REFLEX project which isa follow-up study of graduates in several European countries.Assessment in competence-based education: current characteristics and quality of assessment indutch vocational institutionsLiesbeth Baartman, Utrecht University, NetherlandsTheo Bastiaens, FernUniversität Hagen, GermanyPaul Kirschner, Utrecht University, NetherlandsCees Van der Vleuten, Maastricht University, NetherlandsFrans Prins, Utrecht University, NetherlandsDutch vocational institutions are legally required to adopt competence-based curricula from 2007on. They need adequate methods to assess competence, but are struggling between the classicalaccreditation standards used to evaluate assessment quality, and the need to innovate. This studydetermines the state-of-the-art of competence assessment methods, by looking at currentassessment characteristics and quality, based on a theoretical framework for assessment in– 786 –