Interpreting the limit between the Competencies and Functions of the Graduate in Civil Engineering

Interpretando el límite entre las Competencias y las Funciones del Egresado en Ingeniería Civil

Abstract

The purpose of this article is the partial dissemination of the results of the doctoral research carried out on the curricular transformation of Venezuelan higher education under the competency-based educational approach, considering that university institutions grant the degree to those who will subsequently perform the operational functions planned for the profession of civil engineer in Venezuela, by the Law of the Practice of Engineering, Architecture and Related Professions (among other current legal regulations). It is also appropriate to clarify that the researcher's starting point is the student's perception of this moment in his life, which is considered as a boundary between his role as a student and his professional behavior. The epistemological approach used was the Rationalist one and the steps of the Educational Research Model proposed by José Padrón in 1998 were followed. The work was approached methodologically under the qualitative approach, through the use of documentary immersion techniques, direct observation, and experiential experience. of the author, conducting interviews, both with curriculum experts and civil engineering graduates, case studies and focus groups, to, through multiple triangulation, determine the training of the competencies required to develop the functions related to the civil engineering and the proposal of a theoretical training model that explains the real limit between university training and the work skills of the recent Civil Engineering graduate in the Venezuelan construction industry.