Co-construction of a system of assessment based on competencies and learning outcomes in higher education

Abstract

Higher education institutions have designed training and assessment models based on competencies o satisfy the multiple demands of regulations, of the labor market, of the educational trends in the programs they offer, and of social and student needs. Therefore, this article adds to the debate on mechanisms for quality assurance in higher education, especially on strategies of collective creation that involve university teachers in the construction of knowledge for the integration of learning outcomes (LO) in the training and assessment processes based on competencies. The research approach is qualitative and followed an action research methodology, in which techniques of research, observation, and pedagogical workshop were used with teachers of health professional programs. The findings led to propose an assessment system that links the LO with competency-based training in undergraduate programs, and to identify monitoring needs in the assessment systems to determine the level of mastery of LO at different stages of the students’ academic process.