Competency Based Education and eLearning in Zimbabwe
2 min read
Adapting to the pace of learning.
“Imagine if we could design the learning processes, specifically based on the competency, for each student. The results of education would be monumental”
What is competency-based education?
It’s an alternative mode of delivery in education that focuses on learner’s mastery of knowledge, ability, and skills. Working at their own pace, students may access a variety of learning materials; where activities are guided, and supported by faculty. This s what we try to achieve at Clad Junior Online Tutoring.
CBE emphasises the mastery of distinct concepts, knowledge, and skills, regardless of how long it takes to achieve such mastery or where the mastery is achieved.
“Which means, the competence is acquired through what is learned by the student rather than what is taught to the student.”
To be more specific, Competency Based Learning, is introducing a little flexibility in awarding the credit during the assessment during the course/program.
This way, a learner who has the competency to complete a course in a shorter span of time can do so, instead of staying on the course for a fixed duration until the course is completed. Also, the learner is brought to focus; not told what to learn, but given opportunities to learn what they want to.
How is it different?
CBE may help address two important concerns about the future of independent higher education:
- Maintaining high standards for student learning,
- And containing costs.
But CBE also represents a challenge to assumptions about curricula based on credit hours, sustained student-teacher interactions, and the traditional learning experience.
In a Competency Based model of education, the learning becomes fixed, where a learner has to have results to that they have learned. And as opposed to the traditional teaching methods, the time and duration of the course/program become a variable.
Pros and Cons on CBE
Below are some pros and cons to note when considering whether competency-based learning could be a good option.
Pros
- Customised pace: The learner learns at their pace and can learn at any hour as long as they feel they want to learn. Thus, the fast learners can go at their pace and the slow will follow. No longer the case that they have different competencies and will still finish at the same time.
- Self-discipline: Learners are essentially in charge of when and where the education takes place. And the results are in how quickly they encounter, learn, and are assessed.
- Possibly accelerated progress: Progression may be accelerated as the learner demonstrates competency in the subjects. No need to make the learner wait for the prescribed time of the course.
- It is not time consuming: CBE learning programs are considerably less time consuming than traditional ones because learners don’t have to attend traditional classes.
- It is custom-made: Students usually have choices for how to be a specialist in content, and many CBE programs offer the chance for students to increase credit for preceding education.
- It is crystal clear: Unlike units, points and degrees, competencies are openly related to precise skills that learners require to exhibit before processing. This makes the earned qualifications more helpful to employers, who can evaluate accurately what graduates of CBE Learning programs are proficient in doing.
Cons
- Time management: The amount of time needed to learn each topic is unique to each student. Therefore, accomplishment is based on the time and effort one put in, and self-discipline and time management are required. Which is why implementing CBE in the regular classrooms should be a carefully planned process.
- Less social interaction: Because competency-based learning students are not sitting in a classroom in the presence of classmates and a professor, one may feel the lack of a physical learning atmosphere. However, the programs will connect the students with academic mentors, who will make helpful resources available.
For teachers, competency-based assessment brings depth and value to curriculum. With the focus shifted away from letters and percentages, students become more involved in long-term progress and are more apt to become engaged and take risks while learning.
Ranking students based on undefined competencies and then using that rank to determine their future prospects and contributions is a practice best left to past eras. Competency-based assessment provides more detailed information that promotes better-targeted teaching and learning for all parties involved.