All university degrees share a set of key transversal competences: ethical commitment, learning capacity and responsibility, teamwork, creativity and entrepreneurship, sustainability, and communication. Within the competence of learning and responsibility, decision-making stands out, understood as the ability to analyze alternatives, foresee consequences, and choose rationally.
This competence is considered essential for both personal development and employability, and it requires an explicit methodological and assessment design. Various authors have explored its nature, highlighting that it is a cognitive, emotional, and social process influenced by internal and external factors such as experience, emotions, context, and motivation.
In the educational field, decision-making is fundamental, as professionals must face complex situations involving multiple stakeholders (students, families, teams…). However, there are obstacles such as lack of self-confidence, experience, or clarity of values that can hinder this process.
To train this competence, the use of simulation as a teaching methodology is proposed. It allows for the anticipation of real-life situations, critical reflection (debriefing), and the development of technical and attitudinal skills. Studies and experiences show that simulation, especially in virtual environments or through role-playing, is effective in improving decision-making in the initial training of education professionals.