What is competency-based education and what makes it different The most important characteristic of competency-based education is that it measures learning rather than time Students progress by demonstrating their competence which means they prove that they have mastered the knowledge and skills (called competencies) required for a particular course regardless of how long it takes While more traditional models can and often do measure competency they are time-based -- courses last about four months and students may advance only after they have put in the seat time This is true even if they could have completed the coursework and passed the final exam in half the time So while most colleges and universities hold time requirements constant and let learning vary competency-based learning allows us to hold learning constant and let time vary

We know two things about adult learners -- they come to higher education knowing different things and they learn at different rates Competency-based education recognizes this reality and matches the education to the student Unlike a one-size-fits-all approach it allows adults to come back to college and apply what theyve learned either through formal education or their work and life experience They can move quickly through material they already know and focus on what they still need to learn For many this means that they can accelerate their progress toward a degree saving both time and money

Implemented effectively competency-based education can improve quality and consistency reduce costs shorten the time required to graduate and provide us with true measures of student learning We must

1 Measure student learning rather than time

2 Harness the power of technology for teaching and learning Computer-mediated instruction gives us the ability to individualize learning for each student Because each student learns at a different pace and comes to college knowing different things this is a fundamental requirement of competency-based education

3 Fundamentally change the faculty role When faculty serve as lecturers holding scheduled classes for a prescribed number of weeks the instruction takes place at the lecturers pace For most students this will be the wrong pace Some will need to go more slowly others will be able to move much faster Competency-based learning shifts the role of the faculty from that of a sage on the stage to a guide on the side Faculty members work with students guiding learning answering questions leading discussions and helping students synthesize and apply knowledge

4 Define competencies and develop valid reliable assessments The fundamental premise of competency-based education is that we define what students should know and be able to do and they graduate when they have demonstrated their competency This means that we have to define the competencies very clearly Getting industry input is essential to make sure that weve identified relevant competencies Once the competencies are established we need experts in assessment to ensure that were measuring the right things

The benefits of this competency-based approach have been recognized by policy makers and influencers in higher education The Center for American Progress recently released a white paper that found Competency-based education could be the key to providing quality postsecondary education to millions of Americans at lower cost In a speech last fall US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan referred to

1048729 Competency Based Education focuses on outcomes of learning CBEaddresses what the learners are expected to do rather than on what they areexpected to learn about CBE emerged in the United States in the 1970sand refers to an educational movement that advocates defining educationalgoals in terms of precise measurable descriptions of knowledge skills andbehaviors students should possess at the end of a course of study

1048729 Competency Based Education is outcome based instruction and is adaptiveto the changing needs of students teachers and the communityCompetencies describe the studentrsquos ability to apply basic and other skillsin situations that are commonly encountered in everyday life Thus CBE isbased on a set of outcomes that are derived from an analysis of taskstypically required of students in life role situations1048729 Competency Based Education is a functional approach to education thatemphasizes life skills and evaluates mastery of those skills according toactual leaner performance It was defined by the US Office of Education asa ldquoperformance-based process leading to demonstrated mastery of basic andlife skills necessary for the individual to function proficiently in societyrdquo(US Office of Education 1978)1048729 Competencies consist of a description of the essential skills knowledgeattitudes and behaviors required for effective performance of a real-worldtask or activity These activities may be related to any domain of lifethough have typically been linked to the field of work and to social survivalin a new environment1048729 Competencies are essential skills that adults need to be successful membersof families the community and the workplace

Competency Based Education Programs1 Specific measurable competency statements2 Content based on learner goals (outcomescompetencies)3 Learner continues in program until demonstrating mastery4 Use a variety of instructional techniques and group activities5 Focus on what the learner needs to learn which is the applicationof basic skills in a life skills context6 Use texts media and real life materials geared to targetedcompetencies7 Provide learners with immediate feedback on assessmentperformance8 Pace instruction to learner needs9 Have learner demonstrate mastery of specified competencystatements

Definitions of Content Standards1048729 What learners should know and be able to do in order to meet their goals-- Equipped for the Future1048729 Basic skills and knowledge that learners should have at specific proficiencylevels1048729 Listening speaking reading writing and math basic skills needed toperform life skills

Competencies and Learning Objectives

This The purpose of this paper is to support faculty of schools of public healthpublic health programs (SPHPHP) as they consider approaches and make decisions for competency-based program planning and curriculum development This document is provided for assistance and does not intend to prescribe a process for curriculum development It will provide an introduction to the concepts and references to support continued examination of these issues Competency-based education (CBE) history and overview CBE is an institutional process that moves education from focusing on what academics believe graduates need to know (teacher-focused) to what students need to know and be able to do in varying and complex situations (student andor workplace focused) CBE is focused on outcomes (competencies) that are linked to workforce needs as defined by employers and the profession CBErsquos outcomes are increasingly complex in nature rather than deriving from the addition of multiple low-level objectives CBE often necessitates more complex assessment involving portfolios experiential learning assessment in field experience demonstration in varying contexts role play use of standardized patients or clients etc Large skill sets are broken down into competencies which may have sequential levels of mastery Competencies reinforce one another from basic to advanced as learning progresses the impact of increasing competencies is synergistic and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts Competencies within different contexts may require different bundles of skills knowledge and attitudes The challenge is to determine which competencies can be bundled together to provide the optimal grouping for performing tasks Another challenge is designing learning experiences that support students as they practice using and applying these competencies in different contexts Continual refinement of defined competencies is necessary so that enhanced performance in a variety of contexts can be assessed In essence CBE is a process not a product CBE is more than an effort to describe or list educational and behavioral objectives The early emphasis on behavioral learning objectives was on reliable observation and judgment To this end writers of behavioral objectives were encouraged to state outcomes in operational terms which can be observed using consistent observational processes allowing for no interpretation (Bloom 1971) In an attempt to achieve this reliability a behavioral verb from a list of behavioral verbs (eg state list name recognize describe calculate describe explain

Competencies and Learning Objectives

This The purpose of this paper is to support faculty of schools of public healthpublic health programs (SPHPHP) as they consider approaches and make decisions for competency-based program planning and curriculum development This document is provided for assistance and does not intend to prescribe a process for curriculum development It will provide an introduction to the concepts and references to support continued examination of these issues Competency-based education (CBE) history and overview CBE is an institutional process that moves education from focusing on what academics believe graduates need to know (teacher-focused) to what students need to know and be able to do in varying and complex situations (student andor workplace focused) CBE is focused on outcomes (competencies) that are linked to workforce needs as defined by employers and the profession CBErsquos outcomes are increasingly complex in nature rather than deriving from the addition of multiple low-level objectives CBE often necessitates more complex assessment involving portfolios experiential learning assessment in field experience demonstration in varying contexts role play use of standardized patients or clients etc Large skill sets are broken down into competencies which may have sequential levels of mastery Competencies reinforce one another from basic to advanced as learning progresses the impact of increasing competencies is synergistic and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts Competencies within different contexts may require different bundles of skills knowledge and attitudes The challenge is to determine which competencies can be bundled together to provide the optimal grouping for performing tasks Another challenge is designing learning experiences that support students as they practice using and applying these competencies in different contexts Continual refinement of defined competencies is necessary so that enhanced performance in a variety of contexts can be assessed In essence CBE is a process not a product CBE is more than an effort to describe or list educational and behavioral objectives The early emphasis on behavioral learning objectives was on reliable observation and judgment To this end writers of behavioral objectives were encouraged to state outcomes in operational terms which can be observed using consistent observational processes allowing for no interpretation (Bloom 1971) In an attempt to achieve this reliability a behavioral verb from a list of behavioral verbs (eg state list name recognize describe calculate describe explain