Competency-Based Education: Theoretical Foundations and Innovation Perspectives in Academic Training

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63618/omd/ssjm/v4/n2/72

Keywords:

competency-based education, academic training, educational innovation, competency-based curriculum, authentic assessment

Abstract

Competency-based education is a relevant approach for rethinking academic training in response to increasingly complex social, technological, and professional demands. This study aimed to analyze its theoretical foundations and innovation perspectives in academic training. A documentary-bibliographic review of scientific literature published between 2021 and 2026 was conducted, organized through a compact matrix of 15 selected studies in Spanish and English. The results showed that the competency-based approach becomes more consistent when it integrates curriculum design, authentic assessment, active methodologies, digital competencies, personalized monitoring, and continuous improvement. The review also identified risks when competencies are reduced to administrative indicators or merely instrumental demands. It is concluded that competency-based education contributes to academic innovation when implemented as an integral, contextualized, and evidence-based formative structure supported by verifiable learning outcomes.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Açıkgöz, T., & Babadoğan, M. C. (2021). Competency-based education: Theory and practice. Psycho-Educational Research Reviews, 10(3), 67–95. https://doi.org/10.52963/PERR_Biruni_V10.N3.06

Altamirano-Mullo, T. M., Macías Valdez, C. R., Párraga Cano, W. E., & Macías Moreira, L. G. (2025). Educación basada en competencias: Enfoque y desafíos. Polo del Conocimiento, 10(4), 1887–1901. https://doi.org/10.23857/pc.v10i4.9421

Belchior-Rocha, H., Casquilho-Martins, I., & Simões, E. (2022). Transversal competencies for employability: From higher education to the labour market. Education Sciences, 12(4), 255. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12040255

Brauer, S. (2021). Towards competence-oriented higher education: A systematic literature review of the different perspectives on successful exit profiles. Education + Training, 63(9), 1376–1390. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-07-2020-0216

Bueno-Chuchuca, G. F. (2022). Observaciones al enfoque por competencias y su relación con la calidad educativa. Sophia, Colección de Filosofía de la Educación, 32, 93–117. https://doi.org/10.17163/soph.n32.2022.02

Cejas Martínez, M. F., Liccioni, E. J., Gutiérrez Álvarez, C. L., & Morales Corozo, J. P. (2023). Formación basada en competencias para estudiantes de educación superior en Ecuador: Factor clave en el campo de trabajo. Revista Ciencias Pedagógicas e Innovación, 11(2), 93–100. https://doi.org/10.26423/rcpi.v11i2.725

Cravero, A., Álvarez, D., Sepúlveda, S., Valdivieso, M.-I., & Muñoz, L. (2024). Meta4CBC: Metamodel for competency-based curriculum design in higher education. Applied Sciences, 14(22), 10110. https://doi.org/10.3390/app142210110

Cruz Picón, P. E., & Hernández Correa, L. J. (2022). La tendencia pedagógica basada en competencias: Hacia una nueva calidad de educación. Sophia, 18(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.18634/sophiaj.18v.1i.1084

García-Álvarez, J., Vázquez-Rodríguez, A., Quiroga-Carrillo, A., & Priegue Caamaño, D. (2022). Transversal competencies for employability in university graduates: A systematic review from the employers’ perspective. Education Sciences, 12(3), 204. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12030204

Hernández-Campos, M., Hilliger, I., & García-Peñalvo, F.-J. (2026). Assessing 21st century competencies: A two-case study on curriculum analytics to inform continuous improvement in higher education. Journal of Learning Analytics, 13(1), 57–73. https://doi.org/10.18608/jla.2026.9131

Ho, H.-J. (2026). Analysis of the competency-based curriculum and learning strategies: The moderating effect of educational resources. Discover Education, 5, Article 94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00791-1

López-Nuñez, J.-A., Alonso-García, S., Berral-Ortiz, B., & Victoria-Maldonado, J.-J. (2024). A systematic review of digital competence evaluation in higher education. Education Sciences, 14(11), 1181. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14111181

Marcotte, K. M., & Gruppen, L. D. (2022). Competency-based education as curriculum and assessment for integrative learning. Education Sciences, 12(4), 267. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12040267

Pacher, C., Woschank, M., Zunk, B. M., & Gruber, E. (2024). Engineering education 5.0: A systematic literature review on competence-based education in the industrial engineering and management discipline. Production & Manufacturing Research, 12(1), Article 2337224. https://doi.org/10.1080/21693277.2024.2337224

Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., ... Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71

Pérez-Escoda, A., Lena-Acebo, F. J., & García-Ruiz, R. (2021). Digital competences for smart learning during COVID-19 in higher education students from Spain and Latin America. Digital Education Review, 40, 122–140. https://doi.org/10.1344/der.2021.40.122-140

Ponomariovienė, J., Jakavonytė-Staškuvienė, D., & Torterat, F. (2025). Implementing competency-based education through the personalized monitoring of primary students’ progress and assessment. Education Sciences, 15(2), 252. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020252

Rivadeneira Pacheco, J. L., Lozano Larrea, R. N., Orellana Intriago, C. E., & Medrano Freire, E. L. (2024). Innovación del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje a través de metodologías activas y evaluación por competencias a nivel curricular. Polo del Conocimiento, 9(1), 717–736. https://doi.org/10.23857/pc.v9i1.6403

Solera, E., Menasalvas, E., Martín, M., Zorrilla, M., Valdés-Ramírez, D., Zavala, G., & Monroy, R. (2025). Evaluating competency development and academic outcomes: Insights from six semesters of data-driven analysis. Education Sciences, 15(4), 513. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15040513

Tahirsylaj, A., & Sundberg, D. (2026). Five visions of competence-based education and curricula as travelling policies: A systematic research review 1997–2022. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 1, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2025.2492605

Vargas, H., Arredondo, E., Heradio, R., & de la Torre, L. (2025). Standardizing course assessment in competency-based higher education: An experience report. Frontiers in Education, 10, Article 1579124. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1579124

Vasquez, J. A., Marcotte, K. M., & Gruppen, L. D. (2021). The parallel evolution of competency-based education in medical and higher education. The Journal of Competency-Based Education, 6(2), e1234. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbe2.1234

Vázquez-Rodríguez, O. (2024). Evaluación de la competencia investigativa en el campo educativo: Un análisis de los instrumentos de medición. Alteridad, 19(2), 208–222. https://doi.org/10.17163/alt.v19n2.2024.05

Published

2026-06-14

How to Cite

Aguilar-Muñoz, J. A., Rojas-Granda, A. J., Pozo-Ruiz, V. L., Vega-Gualan, M. N., & Pilco-Núñez, M. V. (2026). Competency-Based Education: Theoretical Foundations and Innovation Perspectives in Academic Training. Space Scientific Journal of Multidisciplinary, 4(2), 79-92. https://doi.org/10.63618/omd/ssjm/v4/n2/72

Similar Articles

1-10 of 65

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)