The architecture of autonomy: epistemic entropy and the axiological imperative of free development in the praxis of university feedback

Abstract

This paper addresses a study on the problematization of the contemporary crisis of feedback in university assessment, conceptualizing it as a phenomenon of “epistemic entropy” that erodes the foundations of learner autonomy. Faced with this degradation, the “axiological imperative of free development” is postulated as a guiding principle for a truly formative evaluative practice. Through a systematic review of technical and scientific literature of fifty-three (53) articles hosted in high-impact databases and open access repositories with peer review, such as Scielo, Scopus, Dialnet, Redalyc, and Web of Science, among others, twenty-five (25) academic articles were selected and subjected to in-depth, interpretive, and critical reading and analysis. This work, which articulates the philosophy of education, theories of human development, and studies on feedback, argues that overcoming the current pedagogical crisis requires transcending instrumental and algorithmic approaches to assessment in order to formatively restore the value of the individual as the ultimate goal of education. The theoretical discussion contrasts the perspectives of classical and contemporary authors, incorporating a profound reflection on the role of artificial intelligence in reshaping feedback and autonomy processes.