Competency-Based Education (CBE) is an emerging
alternative to traditional educational approaches. To effectively engage in CBE,
it is essential to understand how it differs from traditional educational
approaches. To that end, the potential issues related to CBE will be explored,
followed by the mitigation strategies. Next, the strengths of CBE will be
discussed, followed by mechanisms to leverage those strengths. Lastly, the
conclusion will be shared.
Potential
Issues
To effectively discuss CBE’s potential issues, it is necessary
first to evaluate the high-level differences between CBE and traditional
educational approaches. The primary difference between traditional education
and CBE is the focus on demonstrating skills or knowledge (Gervais, 2016). The CBE approach
is based on the concept that once a student has demonstrated the skills
associated with a given course, they receive credit. This approach contrasts
with traditional approaches, which have a fixed timeline and require students
to work at roughly the same pace.
Because CBE enables students to move at different
speeds, it could be challenging to have a lecture that is beneficial to all
members of the class. For example, if
one student enters the course with mastery of the course topics, the
introductory discussions will be of little value to that student. A more complex challenge is that students may
have gaps in their knowledge. They may
have a great deal of depth in one area while missing fundamentals concepts. In
this case, the students might be tempted to skip early work to complete the more
advanced curriculum items.
Mitigation
Strategies
As with many things, a single action cannot address
the challenges previously discussed. Instead, a shift from traditional
solutions to need-based instruction must occur. Additionally, CBE may require
an instructor to teach in a different style than they have previously taught.
The level of instructor engagement with an individual student must be much
higher, given the customized and targeted educational experience associated
with CBE.
For example, one approach would be to break
instructional elements down to smaller segments. This point speaks to the challenges
that the course designers must face when shifting to CBE (Cunningham, Key, & Capron, 2016). Rather than
having a half-hour to an hour lecture, an instructor might employ small five to
ten-minute miniature lectures targeted to a specific activity or unit of
knowledge. Conducting these mini-discussions and then recording them so that a
student can skip over the things they already know could be beneficial to the
student. Additionally, ensuring that the
high-level concepts which the miniature lectures cover are documented might
enable students with gaps in their knowledge to identify those elements.
Strengths
From the student’s perspective, CBE’s primary strength
is that it leverages their existing knowledge and background. Rather than
assuming all students enter the course with the same level of knowledge, the
assumption is that each student has potentially vast differences in their
foundational knowledge. This shift in focus allows a student to complete work
they know how to do quickly, enabling them to focus on improvement areas. While
this could often be done in a flexible traditional course (working ahead), the
student could not complete it early.
Leveraging
Strengths
One way to leverage CBE’s strengths is to work closely
with the student to ensure they have an accurate self-assessment of their
knowledge. This leveraging of the strengths ties into CBE’s fundamental nature,
where the instructor serves as a mentor and guide in the educational journey,
not an oracle issuing lectures from on high.
Conclusion
A brief comparison of CBE to traditional educational approaches
was presented. Understanding the differences between CBE and traditional
educational approaches is essential to engaging in CBE as an instructor. An
assessment of the potential issues and associated mitigation strategies were
shared. The strengths and ways to maximize those strengths were explored. CBE
is a powerful educational approach. The level of instructor engagement,
targeted instruction, and student-driven timelines make CBE a compelling
alternative to traditional education.
References
Cunningham, J.,
Key, E., & Capron, R. (2016). An evaluation of competency‐based education
programs: A study of the development process of competency‐Based programs. The Journal of Competency‐Based Education, 1(3),
130-139.
Gervais, J. (2016). The operational definition of
competency‐based education. The Journal
of Competency‐Based Education, 1(2), 98-106.
