Abstract
Context: Training ethically committed, reflective, and socially responsible professionals remains a core challenge for higher education, particularly in light of the Sustainable Development Goals (UN, 2015). In the field of Lifelong Guidance and Counselling (LGC), competency-based training has gained importance; however, the assessment of students’ progressive development of professional competencies is often poorly systematized. This gap is especially critical in Latin America, where contextually appropriate and validated assessment tools are scarce. As an educational institution, the university has the responsibility of ensuring that students construct both general and specific knowledge for professional practice, playing a central role in the training of competent professionals committed to social development (UNESCO, 1998).
Approach: This study proposes the design and validation of an assessment battery composed of a rubric and an inventory to evaluate the development of professional competencies in LGC undergraduate training. The research is grounded in an integrative theoretical framework that combines socio-constructivist, experiential, transformative, and deep learning theories, with a focus on ethical formation and the development of a situated professional identity.
Findings: It is expected that the proposed instruments will provide valuable feedback for both teaching and learning processes. By enabling the identification of strengths and areas for improvement in students’ competency development, these tools aim to support formative assessment practices and inform curriculum design in university settings.
Conclusions: The validated instruments will contribute to advancing Competency-Based Education in university contexts by offering reliable and context-sensitive assessment strategies. This work reinforces the value of formative, holistic, and reflective evaluation approaches that align with the complexity of professional practice in the field of LGC.
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