- In competency-based education (CBE) the curriculum is directly derived from a detailed analysis of tasks, functions and roles in the given profession. CBE provides an adequate link between educational programs and the professional field.
- CBE starts from the notion that every profession can be described in terms of a professional profile: a limited set of competencies. How to prepare a professional profile is explained in the PowerPoint ‘How to reduce the gap between the Higher Education and the local professional field’. (See BL competency).
- A competency-based educational programme should enable its students to master the set of competencies necessary to successfully perform in a job as a beginning practitioner.
- One of the definitions of competency is a combination of complex cognitive and higher-order skills, highly integrated knowledge structures, interpersonal and social skills, and attitudes and values. Acquired competencies can be applied in a variety of situations (i.e. a transfer) and over an unlimited time span (EA lifelong learning). (Merriënboer and Kirschner, 2013). Some competencies are specific to a given profession and others are general (for example the so-called 21st-century competencies).
- Typical learning and teaching methods used in CBE: student project work, problem-based education, student group work, independent study, case studies, seminars, lectures (including guest lectures) and internships.
- Typical assessment methods in CBE are Assessment of products and processes of students, projects, assessment centres, peer assessments and 360° feedback, portfolio and classical assessment methods. For a more detailed explanation see BL competency-based education)
