Competency-Based Evaluation in the Context of Higher Education: A Systematic Review of the Last Five Years

Abstract

This paper aims to define competency-based evaluation, its methods, practices, meaningful and functional learning, and an evaluation plan in higher education. The methodology is exploratory, based on a systematic review under PRISMA guidelines with eligibility criteria that included research related to competency-based evaluation in higher education, research articles, student and teacher participation, publications in indexed journals in Spanish or English since 2020. Searches were conducted in databases such as Dialnet, Proquest, Redalyc, and the repository of the Universidad César Vallejo using specific search strings. The results highlighted the difficulties and improvement proposals in the implementation of competency-based evaluation strategies in higher education, identifying deficiencies in the conceptions of teaching-learning and evaluation by faculty, and the need for more socially adapted pedagogical strategies. The importance of participatory processes to achieve agreements and improvements was emphasized, as well as the relevance of self-evaluation, reciprocal evaluation among students, and co-evaluation between teacher and student as key techniques and instruments. The findings highlight that evaluation should be a continuous and systematic process that goes beyond simple measurement, aiming to assess and judge the competencies that the student uses in their learning and its practical application in real situations