Competency-Based Education and

Outcome-Based Education
 Competency-Based Education

Competency-based education is an approach to teaching and learning more often

used in learning concrete skills than abstract learning.
Definitions:
According to Richards and Rodgers:
“Competency-based education focuses on outcomes of learning.
“CBE addresses what the learners are expected to do rather than on what they
are expected to learn about.”
“ Competency-based education programs are an alternative way for
learners to gain the skills employers want from employees”
“ Competency based education is an outcome focused approach that
concentrates on the mastery of skills at the learner’s pace rather than within a
specific period of time.
COMPETENCIES
• Large skill sets are broken down into competencies, which may have sequential levels of
mastery.
Competencies reinforce one another from basic to advance as learning progresses; the
impact of increasing competencies is synergistic, and the whole is greater than the sum of
parts.
 CHARACTERSTICS OF Competency-Based
Education

1. Competencies are carefully selected.

2. Supporting theory is integrated with skill practice. Essential knowledge is learned to
support the performance of skills.
3. Participants’ knowledge and skills are assessed as they enter the program.
4. Learning should be self-paced.
5. Flexible training approaches including large group methods, small group activities and
individual study are essential components.
6. Satisfactory completion of training is based on achievement of all specified components.
 ADVANTAGES OF Competency-Based
Education

• Flexible
• Personalized
• Skill-based
• affordable
ADVANTAGES OF Competency-Based Education

• Participants will achieve competencies required in the performance of their jobs.

• Participants build confidence as they succeed in mastering specific
competencies.
• Self-pacing:- participants can move quickly through material they know or take
more time if they need it.
MODES OF Competency-Based Education

• DOWNLOADABLE MODE:-
Downloadable mode empowers to offer education in a
dynamic form to students. Students can access lessons,
assignments and submit their scripts online. They can download
their lesson notes and access archived lessons, tutorial
sessions, lectures etc.
• READ ONLY MODE:
- students will be able to only read the course concepts.
Downloading or interaction is unavailable.
• CLASSROOM INTERACTION:
- the interactive learning provides an environment for students to talk and discuss
freely about any related topics online.
INTRODUCTION
• Outcome-based methods have been adopted in education systems
around the world, at multiple levels. OBE is an educational theory that
bases each part of an educational system around goals (outcomes). It is
also called standard based education reforms, mastery education, and
performance based education.
Meaning –
Spady (1994)
• Outcome-based education means clearly focusing and
organizing everything in an education system around what is essential for
all students to be able to do successfully at the end of their learning
experience.
This means starting with a clear picture of what is important for students to be able to do, then
organizing the curriculum, instruction and assessment to make sure that learning ultimately
happens.
DEFINITION
• ‘Outcome-based education (OBE) is a process that involves the
restructuring of curriculum, assessment and reporting practices in education to
reflect the achievement of high order learning and mastery rather than the
accumulation of course credits.’
• In outcome-based learning, all school programs and instructional efforts are
designed to have produced specific, lasting results in students by the time they leave
school.
Accordingly, OBE has six important features, namely:
1. active learners;
2. continuous assessment;
3. critical thinking, reasoning, reflection and action;
4. integration of knowledge, learning relevant/connected real life situations;
5. learner-centered and educator/facilitator use group/teamwork;
6. and learning programs seen as guides that allow educators to be innovative and creative
in
designing programs and activities.
Outcome-based education: A learner-centered educational strategy
As a teaching strategy, the following guideposts should be properly considered by
mentors (Killen, 2000):
 The main focus should be on learning rather than teaching;
 students cannot learn if they do not think;
 thinking is facilitated and encouraged by the processes that you use to engage students
with the content, as well as by the content itself;
 the subject does not exist in isolation — you have to help students make links to other
subjects;
 and you have a responsibility to help students learn how to learn.
Outcome-Based Education Principles

1.Clarity of focus
2.Designing down
3.High expectation
4.Expanded opportunities
1. Clarity of focus
This means that everything that teachers do must be clearly
focused on what they want students to know, understand and be able to do. In
other words, teachers should focus on helping students to develop the
knowledge, skills and personalities that will enable them to achieve the intended
outcomes that have been clearly articulated.
2. Designing down
It means that the curriculum design must start with a clear
definition of the intended outcomes that students are to achieve by the end of
the program. Once this has been done all instructional decision are
then made to ensure achieve this desired end result.
3. High expectations
It means that teachers should establish high, challenging standards of
performance in order to encourage students to engage deeply in what they are
learning. Helping students to achieve high standards is linked very closely with the
idea that successful learning promotes more successful learning.
4. Expanded opportunities
Teachers must strive to provide expanded opportunities for all students. This
principle is based on the idea that not all learners can learn the same thing in the
same way and in the same time. However, most students can achieve high
standards if they are given appropriate opportunities.
Outcome-Based Education Process

‘Constructive alignment’ is the process that we usually follow when we build

up an OBE syllabus. It is a term coined by professor John Biggs in 1999,
which refers to the process to create a learning environment that supports
the learning activities appropriate to achieving the desired learning
outcomes.
• The word ‘constructive’ refers to what the learner does to construct meaning
through relevant learning activities.
• The ‘alignment’ aspect refers to what the teacher does. The
key to the alignment is that the components in the teaching system,
specially the teaching method used and the assessment task are
aligned to the learning activities assumed in the intended
outcomes.
BENEFITS OF OUTCOME-BASED
EDUCATION

 promotes high expectations and greater learning for all students.

Prepare students for life and work values, attitudes and beliefs.
Encourages decision making regarding curriculum, teaching methods,
school structure and management at each school or district level.