Competency

based
education
Presented to:-
Dr.(Mrs)Raman Kalia
Principal & Professor

Presenter:-
Alka Badial
Msc.(N)Ist Year
 INTRODUCTION
Competency- Based Education with its
teaching and learning approaches has
received a good deal of attention and
support within the health professionals in
recent years.
However, as with any newly emerging
concept, there is no common definition
being used but there are some common
elements.
The most important of these elements is that
learner must be engaged and active in all
aspects of acquiring the knowledge, skills
and professional behaviour needed to
demonstrate practice in a specific
discipline. In other words, Competency
Based Education uses teaching and
learning strategies that facilitate the
development and demonstration of
competency. Other common elements
include the need to have a clear, evidence-
based definition of the learning outcomes
to be demonstrated for performance of the
professional role (i.e., the specific
This clarity is vital to both teachers and students
as it defines the expected outcomes of learning
without any ‘hidden’ agendas. Writing learning
outcomes takes lot of practice but is well worth
the effort to learners and teachers. Other
aspects of Competency Based Education
include attention to the learning needs and
patterns of adults, providing the time needed
for the learner to acquire and repeatedly
perform or demonstrate the expected
competencies (knowledge, skills, professional
behaviours) and creating a supportive/enabling
environment for learning. All health professions
have a societal mandate to provide needed
services to the public and therefore need to
include social accountability in the educational
Competency-Based Education can be pursued
through various approaches to curricular design.
Whatever the design, however, all curricular need
to be evidence-based and outcome focused and all
teaching strategies need to be matched to their
learning domain (psychomotor, cognitive and
affective).
 DEFINITION
Competence:-
According to Kelly (2002), “ Competence is the
possession of knowledge, attitudes and skills
necessary to meet a certain standard of
practice”.
Benner (1984) identified “ Competent” as one
of the stages in her novice-expert model of
developing expertise. In stage three, the
competent nurse begins to see “his“ or her
own actions in terms of long range goals or
plans of which he or she is consciously aware”.
 ACHIEVING COMPETENCE
For the competent nurse, a plan establishes a
perspective or polarization of importance of
aspects of a situation. The plan is based on
considerable conscious, abstract, analytic
contemptation of the problem. A competent nurse
educator will most like will able to:-
 Plan clinical or classroom experience based on
identified objectives.
 Anticipate student problems or concerns.
 Be prepared to resolve issues as they arise.
 Developing competence in
students:-
 Developing competence in students is analogous to
developing competence as a nurse educator. Nourish
students efforts and practice and expect success. Research
(Wodkowski & Ginsberg, 1995) has shown that expectation
leads to the reality in practice and apprentionship.
Development of competence will be enhanced if students and
their preceptors, teachers, and partners except them to
succeed. Developing competence can be achieved best
through guided practice. In essence the need for feedback
and guided practice early in the program in nursing
education depicts the role modeling, coaching and scaffolding
of cognitive apprentionship. In the beginning, reliance on
others for coaching may be necessary, but as student become
more proficient, they increase their self-efficacy and self-
regulation of learning. Balance independence in learning
with a commitment to being helped and helping others.
 Developing Competence In
Nurse Educators
Competence as a nurse can not be achieved without
practical experience. Literature on developing
competence and ultimately expertise indicates that
reflective practice and a variety of experiences means
working with more than one setting to broaden one’s
perspective on nursing education. Settings include
clinical, laboratory and class. Students in graduate
programs should participate in opportunities in which
they work with several preceptors over the course of the
program of study. Student educators can maximize their
learning opportunities by being open to the lessons
offered by each individual helping to shape their future
practice. Expectation of success and multiple
experiences are two key concepts that will enhance the
development of competence as a nurse educators.
Types of competencies
Generic /Core competencies-
Nursing measures that all nurses need to know
how to perform.
e.g. Communication ,basic nursing skills, comfort
measures
Specific Competency-
That all nurses of a particular clinic or unit
need to know e.g. ECG,ICP monitoring etc.
Competency Based Teaching
Competency-Based Education requires
competency based teaching. Defining
attributes of Competency-Based teaching
are included in the following text box and
come from a variety of sources. These
teacher characteristics and expectations
contribute to learner success. They also
demonstrate the shared responsibility of
teachers and learners to reach the goal of
a competent, full qualified learner.
 Attributes of Competency
Based Teaching
 Understand hoe adults learn.
 Match principles of learning and teaching.
 Facilitate, rather than control learning.
 Model humility, critical thinking, respect,
competency and caring at all times.
 Support acquisition of knowledge, skills and
professional behaviors in all learning domains
(cognitive, psychomotor, affective).
 Promote and except learner accountability for
learning.
 Provide timely, specific feedback on learner
progress beginning with learner self assessment.
 Individualize learning experiences according
needs.
 Expect increasing complexity of performance as
the learner progress throughout the programme.
Implementation stages:-
 The following implementation stages are suggested for mid
to large organizations implementing competencies in
learning and development on a corporate wide basis:-
 Stage 1:-
 Determine policy for integrating competencies in learning
and development.
 Design individual learning tools and processes (learning plan
form; associated instruction/tools) and /or acquire tools to
support individual learning planning (e.g., I-skill suite
assessment and learning plan modules).
 Build or acquire a catalogue of learning resources organized
by competencies in the dictionary and classify organization
specific programs and the tools in the catalogue. Advertise
and make the catalogue widely available to employees and
managers (e.g., post the catalogue on a intranet site; acquire
and implement web-based software to support employee).
 Develop or acquire self-assessment and multi-
source surveys and reporting processes as
competency profiles become available for job
groups (e.g., I-skill suite assessment and
learning plan modules).
 Develop and introduce
training/communications related to
competencies and their use in the learning and
development process in the organization.
Stage 2:-
 Conduct a needs assessment/ analysis and design/
develop tools and reporting processes to support
aggregate analysis and reporting of organizational
strengths and gaps in competencies.
 Assess how curriculum/learning program design
and development could be improved with the
introduction of competency based management .
Implement changes as required.
Review current processes for conducting
evaluations of learning programs within the
organization and integrate competencies, as
required, to determine: the extent to which
workplace behaviour and outcomes have changed
in the desired direction; as well as the return on
investment for the learning/training provided.
Teaching strategies effective in
facilitating competency development:-
 Teaching strategies need to be matched to the domain of
learning, as with any type of curriculum. Some of the
effective teaching strategies within a competency-based
curriculum, based on the attributes of competency-based
teaching, include the following:-
 Psychomotor domain:-
 Demonstrate the expected way to perform a given skill.
Allow the learners to practice for a while, and then ask for
a return demonstration of that skill. Set up models or
create a simulation exercise in the practical laboratory
where learners can have repeated practice of skills with
peers and/or teacher supervision. Arrange for sufficient
practical experiences requiring skill performances. Create
a valid and reliable assessment tool for use in determining
competency in skill demonstration.
 Affective domain:-
Create values clarification exercises for personal values.
Provide a framework for a written analysis of a code of
ethics or a comparison of health professions codes of
ethics. Structure opportunities for role play requiring
recognition of differing values and beliefs, with time for
discussion of how these differences may effect one’s
ability to provide care.
Cognitive domain:-
Develop case studies from actual practice requiring or
problem-based learning to determine the most
appropriate, evidenced-based approach.
Other strategies include self-study modules with
suggested learning activities that the learners can
complete on their own prior to interaction with fellow
earners and teachers.it is important that teachers
provide ample time for discussion/ dialogue and
clarification of concepts to be learned.
Competency Based Learning
Competency based learning is a way of
structuring learning activities so that the
individual learner can meet a predetermined set
of competencies. Given that adult learner have a
variety of ways of learning or learning styles, it is
important for them to recognize that
Competency-Based learning will require that they
actually perform or do, rather than learn by
observing. Observation, reflection and listening
are important learning activities, but competency
demonstration is the expected outcome for
education. The following text box summarizes the
key attributes of Competency-Based learning.
 Defining Attributes of
Competency-Based learning
 Understand how one learns best (style).
 Understand exactly what is expected
outcome(s) of learning.
 Take responsibility for one’s learning.
 Motivated to learn-goal oriented.
 Ethical person and practitioner.
 Critical thinker.
 Self-assess learning & performance.
 Commitment to ongoing learning.
Competency-based learning or Competency-
based education and Training is an approach to
teaching and learning more often used in
learning concrete skills than abstract learning. It
differs from other non-related approaches in that
the unit of learning is extremely fine grained.
Rather than a course or a module every
individual skill/ learning outcome, known as a
competency, is one single unit.
Learners work on one competency at a time,
which is likely a small component of a larger
learning goal. The student is evaluated on the
individual competency, and only once they have
mastered it do they move on to others. After that,
higher or more complex competencies are
learned to a degree of mastery and isolated from
Another common component of competency-
based learning is the ability to skip learning
modules entirely if the learner can demonstrate
they already have mastery. They can be done
either through prior learning assessment or
formative testing.
 Best Practices
Competency profiles assist in effective learning
and development by identifying the behavior
knowledge, skills and abilities, that are
necessary for successful performance in a job.
Employees can assess their competencies
against those required for their own job, or for
another job in which they are interested, and
then take steps to acquire or improve any
necessary competencies.
 Competencies Support Learning by:-
Focusing learning on the critical competencies
needed for success in the job and organization.
Providing standards for measuring employee
performance and capabilities.
Providing the framework for identifying learning
options/curriculum/programs to meet employee
and organizational needs.
Supporting effective forecasting of organizational,
as well as project related learning requirements.
Providing standards for determining how well
learning has occurred, both at the individual and
organizational level. Some of the common
benchmark competency-based practices in learning
 Assessments Against
Competencies
Once the competencies have been defined for particular
job/rules, it becomes possible for employees and other to
assess the employee’s competencies against those required
for current or future roles within the organization. The
assessment can occur in the following ways:-
 Self-assessment
 Multi-source/360
 Assessment through other methods
 Individual learning phase
 Learning resources catalogued by competency
 Aggregate reports on organizational gaps in competencies
 Program design/development
 Learning evaluation/validation
Self assessment:-
Typically, the behavioural indicators for the
competencies and proficiency levels needed
within the target role/job are used as the
standard for assessing the performance of the
employee using a common rating scale (e.g.,
five-point scales from never to always) for
assessing each indicator. The results are
complied and a report is provided that includes
the results for all competencies, high lightening
both employee strengths as well as
competencies requiring improvement. This
information can then be used to support the
Multi-source/360:-
Multi-source or 360 feedback is similar to the
self assessment process except there is more
than one evaluator. The process includes at a
minimum the employee interacts within the
workplace (e.g., peers, team members, clients
both within and outside the organization,
reporting employees; etc). Once again, a report
is prepared on the feedback results to allow the
employee, supervisor and/or others (e.g.,
coach; mentor; learning advisor; etc) to target
learning and development efforts to the
particular employees needs.
Assessment through other
methods:-
Competency assessments can be accomplished
through a wide variety of other methods,
including those typically in a selection process
(see recruitment and selection section), such as
competency-based behavioural interviews; in
baskets; role plays and simulations; track
record/portfolio reviews; etc. As well, formalized
assessment is often included as a component of
employee development programs for the purpose
of assessing the employee’s base
skills/competencies going into the program,
progress in development at any point, as well as
level of success at the end of the program.
Individual learning phase:-
Once employee strength and areas of
development have been identified, it becomes
possible to develop individual learning plans
targeted to particular learning needs. At a
minimum, tools to support this process include
a set of instructions or guide for completing a
learning plan as well as a standard learning
form.
Learning resources catalogued by
competency:-
Organizations often support employee learning
by providing a catalogue of learning options
organized by competencies, often incorporating
a variety of learning options such as: on-the job
assignments/activities; books and written
reference material; courses/workshops
/conferences; videos/DVDs; E-learning; etc.
this information is often delivered via internet
or intranet with links to other sites for
additional information or course registration.
Aggregate reports on organizational
gaps in competencies:-
Individual gaps in competency requirements
can be consolidated into group reports, and
discussion can be made on the best strategies
for closing the organizational gaps in the most
fiscally prudent and cost-effective manner (e.g.,
instead of sending several employees on “one
off” courses or conference, offer such a
program in-house for less money).
Program design/development:-
Having defined the competencies and
behaviours required for success in a
particular required for success in a
particular role it becomes possible to target
the design of curriculum and development
programs to address these requirements. In
addition, curriculum can be developed in a
modularized fashion by competency,
allowing the organization to quickly
assemble a program of learning that will be
specifically tailored to address
 Finally, many organizations establish
comprehensive competency-based
employee development programs are
staged development programs are staged
development initiative that include:
formal in-class learning events; planned
work assignments aimed at developing
certain skills and competencies; self-
study components; and formal
assessment to evaluate progress in
development as well as to accredit or
certify that employee has gained required
competencies and knowledge.
Learning evaluation/validation:-
Competencies that have been identified for roles
within the organization can serve as the standards
or criteria for determining the level of success of
learning interventions. This approach is
particularly powerful because assessments based
on the competencies provide the organization with
an indication of the extent to which employee
workplace behaviour has improved. For e.g., pre-
learning and post-learning event assessments (e.g.,
multisource assessment) can be conducted to
evaluate the extent of development at both the
individual and aggregate level (i.e., all employees
who have completed the program). Based on this,
 effective in developing
competency:-
There are several learning activities
common to health professional education
that is competency-based. Examples of
some of these activities follow by domain
of learning:-
Psychomotor domain
Affective domain
Cognitive domain
Psychomotor domain:-
 Review written description of a particular skill
(text, handouts). Take time for repeated practice
skills in the safety of a practical laboratory setting
using plastic models, simulation if available, or
peers as patients supervised by teachers until
mastery of the skill is demonstrated.
Affective domain:-
 Review test for content on definition of values
clarification exercises for personal values provided
by teachers (self-study or group work).
• Cognitive domain:-
 Competency-based learning requires high levels of
critical thinking and reflection (metacognition-
thinking about thinking). Such skills are best with
some form of discovery-based learning.
 Caveats for Competency-Based
Education:-
An important caveat to Competency- Based
Education is that practice-based learning requires
direct supervision and multiple opportunities for
the learners to demonstrate their competency in
practice over a period of time.
Caveats related to teaching and learning apply to
any type of professional education, Competency-
based or otherwise. For example, a learner without
the capability to learn and/or demonstrate
competence cannot complete a programme.
Likewise, it is impossible to free any person to
learn, so lack of motivation to learn most often
results in learners dropping out of programmes,
 REFERENCES
Moyer A. Barbara and Wittman A. Ruth. Nursing
Education/Foundations For Practice Excellence.
Published by: JAYPEE publishers. Page no: 238-
239.
http//www.googlesearch.com retrieved from
en.wikipedia.org/…/Competency-Based Learning
http//www.googlesearch.com retrieved from
www.webcrawler.com/.
http//www.googlesearch.com retrieved from
www.ed.gov/.../competency-based-learning.