Competencies in higher education: advantages and difficulties

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine the usefulness and the obstacles that favor the use of the concept of competence in the formulation and specification of curricula in higher education. The work is based on Kilpatrick's study, who refers to seven ways in which competence has been defined, on Bloom's taxonomy for its relationship with the mental processes used in all academic disciplines, and on the pillars of learning established by the UNESCO. The meaning of the competence category is analyzed according to two tendencies proposed by Ullmann (1972): the analytical or referential and the operational or contextual. In relation to the referential meaning, the study carried out by Zabala and Arnau (2007) is taken, who affirm that competencies are efficient actions in certain contexts, in the workplace and in education. For the operational meaning, the meaning assigned by the Ministry of Education, the Enrique Guzmán y Valle National University of Education and Peruvian teachers is assumed, when they use the concept of competence when formulating the curriculum. The type of research is phenomenological, since it seeks to describe and analyze the meaning of the competence category used by the Minedu and the UNE.