Competency-based learning is a type of learning and instruction that focuses on ensuring understanding and competency with various materials and skills rather than on completing tasks in a specific amount of time. This means that students in this type of program are informed of the skills they should have the end of a lesson or unit, and then the lessons are designed in such a way that they will have those skills. Evaluation is used to ensure competency-based learning is successful and determine if additional training is required, not to determine a grade or indicate passing or failing of a course.
A large portion of school learning is time-based learning, which means that a lesson plan is created with the goal of students knowing certain things at specific times. A sentence structure plan, for example, might allocate one week to parts of speech, one week to grammatical instruction, and one week to punctuation. In a time-based learning environment, this means that at the end of three weeks, the students in the class should understand sentence structure and be able to pass a test on the material. However, in a competency-based learning environment, the unit would be broken down into specific skills and knowledge that students should be proficient in, and competency would be assessed based on the completion of lessons rather than the passage of time.
Professional training often uses competency-based learning, which can be more effective in many situations than time-based learning. A competency-based learning program, rather than a time-based one, may be more beneficial to someone learning to assemble a computer circuit board, for example. The competency-based learning program would clearly state what the student is expected to know and how he or she will be evaluated at the conclusion of the program. In this type of program, there are no unexpected tests, and the student understands what is expected of him or her.
The student in the previous example would then begin working on circuit board design and assembly lessons and units. Each lesson would have a specific goal, usually mastery of a specific skill set, and the student’s progress would be measured the number of lessons completed rather than the number of days or hours spent in the classroom. Competency-based learning can be highly personalized, and it works best for people who have a strong desire to learn the material. After the student has completed the lessons, he or she is evaluated, which often includes a practical demonstration, to ensure that the student is competent in the skills and knowledge expected of him or her. The results of such an assessment are usually not indicative of a grade, but rather of areas for improvement or skills that require additional training.