Challenges in Learning Competency Design

The competency based training is a learning-oriented competency process therefore focused on the student, what this actually succeed in making thus changing the ways of planning and conducting teaching processes, which are aimed at achieving verifiable performance and change evaluation systems which are organized and developed to effectively record the performance.

Therefore, a different sequence in curriculum design is adopted, the graduate profile is determined based on the competencies valued from the world of work; and all educational processes are geared towards achieving the competencies identified in the graduate profile.

In designing learning competencies I identify the following challenges:

• How to present a competency? An active verb that identifies an action that generates a displayable result. It should include the description of the object of the action and the context in which it applies, and, at the same time, the quality indicators.
• How to present competencies in terms of learning outcomes? They must be clear and precise about what is expected the student can do and prove once the learning process is completed. They must express student’s verifiable actions or performances.
• How to develop competencies? Competencies are developed progressively, so it is necessary to consider different points on the achievements the student is reaching.

In order to overcome with the challenges described above, I consider the following recommendations:

• Establish clear learning outcomes and performance indicators as well as the time and tools to verify them, depending on whether generic or specific skills.
• Use tools to assess mastery of content at the highest level: items ordered result, development testing, cases or problems to be solved etc.
• Develop a team and validate various tools to assess performance: checklists, rating scales, rubrics.