Picture an education system where progress is based on understanding the material rather than time spent in a classroom. Competency-based learning (CBL) offers a vision for education that caters to the individual student instead of requiring students to conform to a fixed system. Whether you’re a student, educator, or simply curious about the future of learning, understanding CBL can open new opportunities for personalised, efficient, and pertinent education.
In this article, we’ll explore the fundamental principles of competency-based learning, discuss its numerous benefits, and address some of its challenges. We’ll also highlight how Moodle supports this progressive educational model through its competency frameworks.
What is competency-based learning?
CBL is an educational approach that aligns closely with how individuals naturally learn, work, and collaborate beyond traditional academic environments. At its core, CBL is designed around evidence-based assessments and prioritises flexibility in various aspects such as time, space, and support. It ensures that all students can practise and master durable, transferable skills essential in the real world. The Aurora Institute has played a key role in defining the concept and outlining core elements that form a comprehensive framework for this approach.
In a competency-based learning system, learners can make crucial decisions about their learning experiences, including how they create, apply, and demonstrate knowledge. Assessments in CBL are prepared to provide learners with timely, relevant, and actionable feedback. Learners receive personalised help tailored to their unique learning preferences based on their proof of understanding of a particular subject or topic rather than the time spent in a classroom. They engage in active learning through varied pathways and pacing, supported by a commitment to equity in the educational culture and structure. Expectations for learning are clear and consistent. They are easy to measure and understand, so all learners can effectively show their abilities.
The benefits of CBL
While there are many benefits to applying CBL, let’s look at some of the important ones for education and the workplace.
Personalised learning and teaching
CBL offers a highly personalised education experience by allowing learners to progress at their own pace based on their strengths and preferences. Instead of being bound by strict timelines, learners can spend more time understanding challenging concepts while quickly moving through more accessible topics. This way, learners have the time to understand and master each competency fully, developing a more profound and comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter. CBL also empowers learners to take ownership of their education. By setting clear, measurable goals, learners can track their progress and focus on areas that require improvement.
For educators and trainers, competency-based learning transforms the traditional teaching role into one of a mentor and facilitator. It allows educators to tailor their teaching strategies to meet their learners’ diverse preferences. Educators can provide targeted feedback and support by focusing on individual progress and competencies, helping learners overcome specific challenges and achieve their full potential. CBL enables educators to use data-driven insights to improve their teaching methods continuously. Educators can identify patterns and adjust instruction by tracking each learner’s progress and understanding.
Flexibility of time and location
Unlike traditional education models that follow a fixed schedule, CBL encourages learners to spend as much or as little time as they need on each competency until they achieve mastery. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for those who balance their studies with other commitments, such as work or family. Learners can study during the times that suit them best, whether early in the morning, late at night, or on weekends, making education more accessible and manageable.
In addition to flexibility in timing, CBL provides the freedom to learn from anywhere through learning management systems (LMS), such as Moodle LMS. This eliminates the need for physical presence in a traditional classroom, making education accessible to individuals residing in remote areas or those who cannot commute. For educators and trainers, this flexibility allows them to reach a broader audience, providing education to a diverse and global student body.
Building a quality workforce
One of CBL’s primary advantages is its effectiveness in vocational training programs such as hairdressing, car mechanics, and nursing. Unlike traditional academic settings that focus on essays and grades, vocational training prioritises the demonstration of practical skills—such as performing a haircut, changing a tyre, or administering a blood test. Learners are assessed on competence in these tasks, ensuring they are fully prepared for the workforce.
Focusing on proficiency in specific skills helps learners acquire the practical abilities required for their chosen fields. As a result, employers can more effectively match candidates with job openings based on their actual competencies rather than solely on their academic degrees. This way, organisations can build a productive and efficient workforce.
Moreover, evaluating individuals based on their skills rather than their formal qualifications opens up opportunities for a broader range of candidates from diverse backgrounds. Skills-based practices can significantly support an organisation’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals by recognising the value of varied experiences and perspectives. As diverse teams bring a variety of viewpoints and problem-solving approaches, CBL helps create a more dynamic and capable workforce equipped to thrive in an ever-evolving job market.
Challenges of competency-based learning
While competency-based learning helps learners develop invaluable skill sets that can be applied in real-world situations, there are a few challenges that institutions and organisations face when implementing it.
Time-consuming processes and reluctance to change
Administrators and educational institutions often need to be more open to adopting new methods, which can significantly delay the implementation of CBL. This resistance stems from a preference for traditional teaching methods and a need for more motivation to overhaul existing systems. The approval process for curriculum changes involves multiple layers of decision-making and extensive paperwork, making it time-consuming.
Additionally, transitioning to a competency-based curriculum is expensive, especially when it must be done for undergraduate and graduate courses across various disciplines. Developing such a curriculum demands substantial investments in time, money, and human resources, encompassing the creation of new materials, staff training, and continual updates to maintain relevance. The financial burden of designing, implementing, and sustaining a CBL system can be prohibitive, specifically for institutions with limited budgets.
Lack of awareness about benchmarking assessments
One of the key challenges in implementing CBL is the widespread lack of understanding about its importance and the methods required for effective benchmarking and assessment. This knowledge gap makes it difficult for institutions to design and implement effective CBL programs. Without proper training and resources, educators and administrators may struggle to develop appropriate assessment tools and metrics needed to measure student competencies accurately, further complicating the process of adopting CBL into their programs.
Initial investment in training educators and trainers
Effective implementation of CBL requires educators and trainers to be well-versed in its principles and practices, necessitating extensive professional development programs to improve their capability. Institutions must invest in comprehensive training programs for their staff before implementing CBL, which can be a barrier, particularly for institutions with limited resources. This initial investment in training is essential to ensure that educators are equipped to develop appropriate assessment tools and accurately measure student competencies.
How to implement competency-based learning into your program?
Implementing CBL begins with identifying and defining the core competencies learners need to master. These foundational competencies typically include communication, quantitative and analytical thinking, problem-solving, interpersonal skills, and technological skills. The curriculum should be designed around these competencies, integrating them into all aspects of the learning experience. This involves creating learning objectives explicitly linked to these competencies and developing course materials, assignments, and activities that provide opportunities for students to practice and demonstrate their skills in these areas.
Educators and trainers must efficiently evaluate and track how well learners understand and acquire the necessary skills and knowledge. This includes developing assessment tools and metrics that can accurately gauge student performance. Continuous feedback mechanisms are crucial, allowing students to understand their progress and areas needing improvement. Institutions and organisations should facilitate a learning environment that encourages self-paced learning and provides resources and support for students to learn skills at their own pace. Implementing CBL also requires a commitment to ongoing curriculum evaluation and improvement, ensuring that the competencies remain relevant and that the educational practices evolve to meet the changing preferences of learners as well as the workforce.
Apply CBL to your courses and programs with Moodle
Moodle supports competency-based learning by offering a thorough system for managing and assessing competencies. Competencies in Moodle describe a learner’s level of understanding or proficiency in specific subject-related skills. They are used for assessment, allowing educators and trainers to track and measure learners’ progress. A competency framework can be created and managed within Moodle, providing a structured approach to competency-based education. These frameworks help organise and categorise the skills and knowledge learners need to acquire, facilitating a coherent and systematic assessment process.
You can access Moodle’s collection of competency frameworks on MoodleNet – the site for finding, sharing and curating open educational resources, has an ever-growing collection of competency frameworks.
Administrators in Moodle have the flexibility to manage competency settings according to their institution’s needs. Competencies are enabled by default on any Moodle platform, but administrators can disable them if necessary. They can also add new frameworks, tailoring the system to fit specific educational or training goals. Once the frameworks are added, competencies can be attached to learning plans owned by students, providing a personalised learning experience.
Learn more from our video about ‘How can I use competencies in my Moodle site’.
