Assessment of Student Competency Development in Research Seminar Modules: A Comparative Evidence from Two Peruvian Engineering Faculties

- This study examines the development of competencies in students from two faculties enrolled in a Research Seminar course between 2023 and 2024. Faculty A demonstrated strengths in critical thinking, information analysis, and ICT use, while Faculty B excelled in self-evaluation, reflecting stronger self-regulatory capabilities. Both faculties showed similar performance in research skills, digital identity, ethical information use, and collaborative learning, with Faculty A slightly ahead in experiential learning. Year-on-year improvements suggest positive trends in competency development. Correlation analysis revealed strong links between autonomous learning and digital information management, supporting the value of integrated curricula. An inverse relationship between self-evaluation and critical thinking also emerged, indicating the need for balanced instructional strategies. The findings highlight opportunities for reciprocal learning: Faculty A could adopt practices enhancing self-regulation, while Faculty B might benefit from methods fostering critical analysis. The study recommends reinforcing digital competence and autonomy, expanding collaborative learning opportunities, and using ongoing data analysis to guide curriculum design. With targeted interventions, both faculties can advance toward developing more autonomous, critical, and digitally skilled student profiles.