Capabilities-driven curriculum design

Abstract

From my perspective, competency-based Iearning is neither a unique, earth-shattering device for completely overhauling approaches to teaching and learning in post-secondary institutions, nor a self-evident blight on the education landscape that should be eliminated, although there are many who have held one or the other of these two extreme views. Historically, the competency movement has embraced some narrow, educationally suspect practices that have attracted due criticism. On the other hand, it has certain elements that are shared wilh other educational reform agendas, and in that sense it is valuable but not unique. Its presence in recent decades has been catalytic, has focused attention on some important educational reform issues, and has been influential on educational change outside those areas that have actually adopted a competency-based approach. This influence applies particularly to the relation between the educational institutions and industry, and also to the nature of the professions. In addition, within the competency movement, the idea of what a competency-based approach should be about has been evolving; many current practices are in stark contrast to earlier, less acceptable versions of competency-based learning. Of course, in many other cases, practices have not changed much at all.

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