Definition:
Competency-based learning is learning by doing: participants apply their learnings in their practice, collect evidence, and demonstrate their competence. You can learn more here. Focusing learning on demonstrated outcomes is central to the BloomBoard learning approach. In BloomBoard micro-credentials, participants submit an authentic portfolio of evidence to demonstrate their competency against a set of criteria called competency indicators. Click here to read more about the types of indicators that will be used to assess your portfolio of evidence.
What is competency-based learning in practice?
Competency-based learning can be described as learning by doing and then showing or demonstrating. Participants engage in this type of approach to learn new or refine existing knowledge and skills, then demonstrate the implementation of those abilities in their practice. Competency-based learning also affords participants the opportunity to "capture a moment in time" to document their best practices in action which can also demonstrate mastery of the competencies. Embracing a growth mindset, reflection, and practice through competency-based learning enables participants to refine their practice and eventually demonstrate competency.
How is competency-based learning different from traditional professional development?
Traditional professional development or education is often “one and done” with no real substantive transfer to practice. This type of training typically focuses on how many hours a participant engages with a particular skill.
Competency-based learning focuses on job-embedded, meaningful integration into a participant’s everyday professional experiences. Its strengths lie in its flexibility, as participants are able to move at their own pace and take their own path towards demonstrating competency. It is in this application of new or refined knowledge that deep learning occurs. This type of learning has an immediate positive impact on a participant’s professional practice.
Important Note:
Authentic evidence is a core component of competency-based learning. At BloomBoard, a portfolio of evidence containing unique artifacts is assessed to determine competency. Click to view Uniqueness of Artifacts to learn more.