A Reflection on Competency-based Education: Comments from Europe

Abstract

This article reports on the rationale, design, implementation, and outcomes of new competency-based courses at a U.K. university. Follow-up research among students and staff members indicates that students taking the competency-based courses appear to be much more skilled than their predecessors in the academic and vocational areas taught on the courses, are receiving higher grades, and are having good success in being selected for jobs. The article also provides a model for design and delivery based on experiential and metacognitive theory and on research asking students for their reactions to this new way of learning and their preferences for competency-based course design.