Both PLA and CBD seem to be (well) somewhat related. Designing them as programs may look different and I'm interested to see if a clear definition would suggest guides for designing programs which address each.
Just to add an additional dimension to Brenda's already very clear explanation, PLA (sometimes with an added 'R' for 'Recognition') allows students to gain credit for work-related experience that they would have gained prior to beginning a course of study in the formal institution. The rational for this, I am assuming, lies in the growing acceptance by tertiary level institutions of the validity and worth of learning experiences that adult students bring from their various work experiences that institutions did not previously acknowledge. With PLA(R) these credits can now be included for certification, which means that there are less to be earned in the formal study programme. What I am not sure about is exactly what strategies are used to facilitate this assessment, but I do know that the students themselves are given the opportunity to play a part in conducting the assessment.
As far as competency-based education is concerned, this speaks to the approach to organizing an area of study, based on the skills or competencies embedded within it. What ever information is included is linked to the specific skill. A lot of emphasis is also placed on organizing the skills (competencies) for a particular area of study according to levels, which are also recognized in the certification. The certificate will show what level of competency the students has attained.
Actually, one similarity between the 2 is that both highlight competencies attained, since the focus is on clarifying capability to function efficiently in a work-environment.
With a competency-based education, should the nursing program remain a three year course when a student has some disabilities and is a slow learner?
Thank you Brenda. I am interested in reading that article.
Regards
Carmen
Carmen, I find your question interesting. It seems to me that even though the nursing programme has moved to being competency based, it has still retained the traditional whole-course approach to certification. I would think that a focus on competencies would mean a shift to setting a time frame for a particular competency at a given level so that there is some flexibility in the overall time a student may take to complete the programme.
But of course, there are other issues, e.g. administrative, political, that an institution will have to consider in terms of scheduling its programmes. So increasing the flexibility of programme delivery may not be so easy.
Camille, I think another important point is that competency-based assessment requires students to demonstrate something they can do and this implies it should be standards-based assessment. Recognition of prior learning could apply to results of traditional written examinations (which tend to be norm-referenced assessments) - or it could be a competency-based demonstration of some sort - it depends on the context
Thanks ladies for the clarifications..this really helps..we have many projects that have PLA or CBE being employed. Has anyone seen a project which employs both methods? I think it can be a useful avenue for students who are looking for the recognition.
I think we are mixing competency based assessment (in most answers) with competency based education (in the question).
Competency based education is a design strategy for curricula and courses.
Both assessment and education are highly dependent on the definition of competence (which are numerous). Crawford in 2005 gave an excellent model for combining most used definitions (any combination of knowledge, skill, personality and output).
If the definition used involves only skill and knowledge, a combined skills and knowledge test could be considered a competency assessment. In my field of study - project management - the knowledge of both planning techniques and the skill of creating a planning could be tested by having a student make a few different plans based on different techniques (one test for both underlying characteristics).
If the definition used involves output, the results should be judged (in my field of study: project management success is a good example of an output competency).
Thanks Brenda and Steven.
I was told that PLAs can use essays as one of their assessment methods. Does anyone have examples of such essays?
We used to ask for working references and have a talk (which could be interpreted as an oral examination). Nowadays it is replaced by examination independent of learning route: you have to take the normal test each student needs to take to prove their level, but you don't have to follow classes, but this is available for all students. So basically because of trace-ability and accountability rules the use of PLA's has been stopped.
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