ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Higher Education
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing Pedagogy Through InnovationView all 5 articles
Active Learning Methodologies and the Development of Professional Competencies in Postgraduate Education: A Literature Review in Higher Education
Provisionally accepted
César Jhonny Zorrilla Esparza1*
Mauricio Acevedo-Carrillo Acevedo Carrillo2
Jorge Luis Chávez Collazos1Magally Silva Gonzales3Rosario Inés Eyzaguirre Espino1Santiago Rufo Valderrama Mendoza1- 1Universidad Cesar Vallejo, Lima, Peru
- 2Universidad Privada del Norte, Trujillo, Peru
- 3Universidad Tecnologica del Peru, Lima District, Peru
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Introduction: This study explores the implementation of active learning methodologies in university teaching and their influence on the development of professional competencies among postgraduate students, through a literature review of 18 scientific articles published between 2020 and 2025, selected from the specialized databases Science Direct and ERIC. Methods: The reviewed studies focus on strategies such as flipped classroom, problem-based learning, collaborative work, and gamification, highlighting their contribution to the enhancement of critical thinking, academic motivation, and employability. Results: The findings reveal that effective implementation of these methodologies requires ongoing teacher training, curriculum redesign, coherent formative assessment, and pedagogical integration of emerging technologies. Persistent barriers remain related to institutional resistance, limited resources, and attitudinal constraints among faculty. Discussion: It is concluded that active methodologies should not be understood as isolated techniques, but as essential components of a complex pedagogical ecology that demands integrated structural, cultural, and formative conditions aimed at transforming higher education and strengthening the professional profile of postgraduate students in a globalized educational context.
Keywords: Active methodologies, university teaching, Professional competencies, higher education, Participatory learning, formative assessment
Received: 09 Aug 2025; Accepted: 07 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zorrilla Esparza, Acevedo Carrillo, Chávez Collazos, Silva Gonzales, Eyzaguirre Espino and Valderrama Mendoza. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: César Jhonny Zorrilla Esparza, profesorinvestigador66@gmail.com
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