Capital humano, absentismo académico y evaluación continua

This study analyses university absenteeism from the perspective of human capital theory, conceptualizing it as a manifestation of educational market failures that can be corrected through appropriate interventions. The study documents a 75% increase in chronic absenteeism compared to pre-pandemic levels, consolidating at 26% in 2023, reflecting a fundamental reconfiguration in student preferences and the perception of marginal returns from in-person attendance. Continuous assessment is proposed as an optimizing mechanism that operates through four main channels: modification of temporal incentives, cognitive consolidation through testing effects, provision of signalling and regular feedback, and construction of cognitive social capital. The reviewed empirical evidence demonstrates that continuous assessment reduces absenteeism by 25-40%, improves academic performance, and generates differentiated effects according to individual student characteristics.The analysis integrates human capital theory, behavioral economics, and mechanism design to explain educational behaviours under imperfect information and bounded rationality. The results suggest that university institutions can significantly influence academic outcomes through interventions that correct informational asymmetries and behavioral biases. Finally, it is established that continuous assessment represents an institutional investment with favourable benefit-cost ratio, especially for students with lower initial endowments of cultural capital.