Draws upon a case study of a community college program review to examine the application of a competency-based approach to the process of curriculum design. Suggests that competency-based curriculum development shifts the basis for decision making from teacher knowledge to an objectified accounting system of employers and curriculum technicians.…

Considers whether it is possible to develop work-based learning (WBL) that provides effective higher education and whether WBL is an appropriate way to structure workforce development. Uses the example of social work education to argue that WBL composed of outcomes achieved entirely through practice can be compatible with the aims of higher…

Traces the roots of outcome-based education in mastery learning. Considers such obstacles as lack of reform preconditions, poor understanding of program features, teacher resistance, teacher domestication, staff mobility, and routinization. (SK)

A framework for a competency rating scale combines types of literacy (reading, writing, numeracy, and document processing) and literacy levels (basic and required). Indicators of the competencies derived from individual behavior show whether the competency is fully established, just developing, or absent. (SK)

Competency-based models such as Britain's National Vocational Qualifications should not be adopted for adult education professional development. The values underlying competency models are incompatible with the values of reflective practice, such as ownership of curriculum and entitlement to lifelong learning. (SK)

Competency-based training workshops based on Kolb's experiential learning theory were held for North Carolina adult basic education teachers; 251 attended 1-day sessions and 91 a week-long summer institute. Topics included interpersonal communication, reading, numeracy, language arts, math, assessment, and program evaluation. (SK)

Trainers must understand and be prepared to convince others that writing is a set of work behaviors that can readily be taught by modern, competency-based, adult learning technology. Trainers should focus on learners, define job-related writing behaviors, use behavior to teach behavior, and provide positive feedback. (JOW)

Focuses on the quality of competency standards used to inform curriculum development processes in Australia. Argues that quality issues have received scant attention in the development of standards, leading to the use of inappropriate methods to establish competency standards. (12 references) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education)…

Results of interviews with students undertaking National Vocational Qualifications/Scottish Vocational Qualifications (1993-1997) support criticisms of the competence approach, especially the emphasis on procedural knowledge and surface-level learning. Costs and bureaucracy of the approach are compounded by the lack of in-depth coverage, impeding…

Summarizes recommendations of a subcommittee of the American Geriatrics Society's Education Committee concerning core competencies for physicians caring for older patients. Competencies are organized into those concerned with attitudes, knowledge (basic science and clinical), and skills. (DB)

A 3-year evaluation is being undertaken to assess quality assurance processes for nursing and midwifery education in England. Issues that must be resolved are (1) the balance between qualitative and quantitative judgments of achievement of standards and (2) the tension between competency-based education and the development of professional…

Interviews with 29 policymakers involved in the development of the National Vocational Qualifications/Scottish Vocational Qualifications identified four factors influencing the reform initiative: pressure for vocational relevance, postindustrial nature of economic change and work, need to make training standards based rather than time served, and…

Community college mechanics students in a competency-based program were compared with those in a cohort-based program. The cohort group perceived a split between theory and practice. The competency-based group was less affected by literacy and language difficulties. They felt success depended on motivation, initiative, and maturity; the cohort…

In Indiana's system of performance-based licensure, beginning teachers must submit portfolios within 2 years of teaching for a 5-year, renewable license. University teacher education programs have implemented portfolio assessment to prepare future teachers for licensure. (SK)

Describes Baltimore Learning Communities, a school reform project that includes a competency-based model based on the competencies identified by the Labor Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). (JOW)