Design and Institutional Implementation of a Competency-Based Engineering Education Model with Simplified Assessment Frameworks (#1729)

Authors

Nieto-Jalil, Jose M

Abstract

Engineering education faces persistent challenges in ensuring coherent competency development within institutional contexts characterized by curricular complexity, disciplinary diversity, and increasing demands for quality assurance. In such settings, traditional assessment models based on the accumulation of fragmented evidence have shown limited capacity to support meaningful continuous improvement or sustainable teaching practices. This paper presents the conceptual–operational design and institutional implementation strategy of a new competency-based education model for engineering programs developed at scale. The proposed model integrates a curriculum architecture structured through differentiated formative units, a competency-based assessment framework articulated via critical evaluation pathways, and a deliberate strategy for assessment evidence simplification. Rather than reducing academic rigor, this approach prioritizes the relevance, interpretability, and decision-making value of assessment evidence, strengthening alignment among curriculum design, evaluation practices, and the student learning experience. The model was developed through a merit-based and participatory governance process involving more than 600 faculty members and encompassing 18 engineering programs. Methodologically, this study adopts an institutional design–based research approach, focusing on the academic design decisions, governance mechanisms, and implementation strategies that underpin the model. Formal implementation will begin in August 2026 and will be accompanied by a structured experimentation phase and a semester-based continuous improvement cycle grounded in collegial analysis and collective decision-making. This work contributes to engineering education by offering a transferable methodological framework for large-scale educational transformation, emphasizing academic governance, competency-based assessment, and faculty sustainability as central dimensions of educational quality.