By focusing on what students know and can do, rather than the time spent in a classroom, Competency Based Education offers a more personalized and flexible learning experience.
This article delves into the definition, advantages, and programs that have successfully implemented competency-based education, highlighting its potential to revolutionize the way we approach higher education.
What is Competency-Based Education?
Competency-based education (CBE) is an innovative approach in higher education that organizes academic content or delivery according to competencies, what a student knows and can do, rather than following a traditional scheme such as by course.
This approach assesses student learning, not time spent in a classroom, and measures student progress using a clock or credit hours. CBE offers students the opportunity to use their past experiences, skills, and knowledge to complete a course, get a degree, or complete the training needed to pursue their goals.
Advantages of Competency Based Education
Cost Savings
The rapid development of online teaching technology has resulted in traditional learning styles blending with virtual convenience, combining competency-based education with online instruction, which accommodates various kinds of learners and makes sense. This approach can provide a method to decrease failure in completion and the flexibility of the program can work with a student’s schedule.
Flexibility Leads to Increased Matriculation
Online competency-based education can provide a method to decrease failure in completion, and the flexibility of the program can work with a student’s schedule. Global demands for virtual options are making it difficult for traditional universities to resist the online phenomenon.
Competency Based Education Programs
Medical Education
One method of evaluation of competency in a systems-based practice was created for students affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Before the module started, learners completed a questionnaire that assessed their knowledge of patient care. Throughout the module, multiple-choice questions were interspersed with discussions of the case. In the end, they repeated the questionnaire they took at the start of the case. The department of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins uses the competency-based method to evaluate surgical skills for its residency program.
Pharmacology Instruction
When designing a curriculum involving pharmacology instruction to paramedical students, the program opted for the non-traditional CBE method. The pharmacology course included six objectives, including one tailored by the student. Assessment methods included study questions, projects, quizzes, and exams. The exams were criterion-referenced, and eighty-five percent mastery was required. Final exams were patient-drug case studies, testing the ability to apply material mastered.
Online Competency-Based Education
Competency-based education can take place in a (face-to-face or online) classroom setting, as well as outside the classroom. The assessment commonly includes feedback by peers as well as self-assessment. Learning or developing a competency can be broken into smaller steps. These steps have been described in frameworks, such as the Dutch competency standard framework that describes a five increasingly higher competency levels.
Conclusion
Competency-based education is an innovative approach in higher education that organizes academic content or delivery according to competencies, what a student knows and can do. This approach assesses student learning, not time spent in a classroom, and measures student progress using a clock or credit hours. CBE offers students the opportunity to use their past experiences, skills, and knowledge to complete a course, get a degree, or complete the training needed to pursue their goals.
The advantages of CBE include cost savings and flexibility, which can lead to increased matriculation. Programs such as medical education and pharmacology instruction have successfully implemented CBE, and online competency-based education is a growing trend in higher education.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Competency-Based Education?
Competency-based education is an approach to learning that focuses on what students know and can do, rather than the time spent in a classroom. It assesses student learning and measures student progress using a clock or credit hours.
How Does Competency-Based Education Work?
Competency-based education works by breaking down learning into smaller, measurable competencies. Students are assessed on their mastery of these competencies, and they can progress at their own pace.
What are the Benefits of Competency-Based Education?
The benefits of competency-based education include cost savings, flexibility, and increased matriculation. It also allows students to use their past experiences, skills, and knowledge to complete a course, get a degree, or complete the training needed to pursue their goals.
How Does Competency-Based Education Compare to Traditional Education?
Competency-based education differs from traditional education in that it focuses on what students know and can do, rather than the time spent in a classroom. It also allows students to progress at their own pace and use their past experiences, skills, and knowledge to complete a course or degree.
What are Some Examples of Competency-Based Education Programs?
Some examples of competency-based education programs include medical education, pharmacology instruction, and online competency-based education. These programs have successfully implemented competency-based education and have seen positive results.
