Competency-based education (CBE) is a learner-centred approach to education that focuses on the mastery of specific skills and knowledge. In a competency-based classroom, students progress based on their mastery of key concepts and skills rather than on traditional timelines. This approach provides opportunities for personalised learning and helps to ensure that students are adequately prepared for college and career success.

Moodle, the open-source learning management system, is an excellent tool for implementing competency-based education. It provides the flexibility to design and manage a variety of assessments and to track student progress against specific competencies. Here are some steps for implementing competency-based education using Moodle:

Step 1: Define Competencies

The first step in implementing CBE is to define the competencies you want students to master. Competencies can be broad, such as “critical thinking” or “communication,” or more specific, such as “ability to create a persuasive argument.” It is important to ensure that the competencies are measurable and achievable.

For example, in a language arts class, some competencies might include:

• Reads short stories and comprehends their meaning by identifying characters, storylines, and what the author wants to say on their own
• Write clear and effective sentences and paragraphs
• Apply grammar, punctuation, and spelling rules correctly

Step 2: Create Assessments

Once you have identified the competencies, the next step is to create assessments that measure student progress against those competencies. Moodle provides a variety of assessment tools, such as quizzes, assignments, and forums.

For example, for the competency “Reads short stories and comprehends their meaning—by identifying characters, storyline, and what the author wants to say on their own,” you might create a quiz that asks students to answer questions about the characters, setting, and theme of a short story they have read.

Step 3: Set Learning Goals

In CBE, students work towards mastering specific competencies, so it is important to set clear learning goals for each competency. Learning goals can be broken down into smaller, achievable steps that help students build towards mastery.

For example, for the competency “Writes clear and effective sentences and paragraphs,” some learning goals might include:

• Identifies and uses different types of sentence structures
• Uses transitional words and phrases to connect ideas
• Edits for grammar and spelling errors

Step 4: Assess Student Progress

As students work towards mastering competencies, it is important to assess their progress regularly. Moodle provides a variety of tools for assessing student progress, such as grade books and rubrics. These tools help teachers track student progress towards mastery of specific competencies.

Step 5: Build E-Portfolios

One of the key benefits of CBE is that it provides students with a tangible record of their learning. Moodle allows teachers to build e-portfolios for students, which can be used to showcase their work and progress towards specific competencies.

For example, for the competency “Explores and plays with a variety of materials and tools to create two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks in varying sizes,” students might create an e-portfolio that showcases their artwork and demonstrates their mastery of specific skills, such as colour mixing, perspective, and texture.

Competency-based education (CBE) is an approach that emphasises the mastery of skills and knowledge rather than simply the accumulation of credits or the completion of a predetermined course of study. With Moodle as a learning platform, it is possible to implement CBE and assessment for learning (AFL) approaches together.

Assessment for learning allows teachers to identify gaps in students’ understanding and adjust their instruction accordingly. In a competency-based model, assessments are designed to measure specific skills and knowledge, and feedback is provided to help students improve in those areas. Moodle offers a variety of assessment tools, such as quizzes, assignments, and interactive activities, that can be used to support CBE and AFL.

E-portfolios are a useful tool for tracking student progress in a competency-based model. Students can use their e-portfolios to collect evidence of their learning, reflect on their progress, and demonstrate mastery of specific competencies. Moodle offers several options for creating e-portfolios, such as the “Exabis plugin” or a dedicated portfolio page within the Moodle course.

Grading and assessment types in the CBE and AFL models can vary depending on the specific competencies being measured. For example, a student might be assessed on their ability to analyse data, write persuasive arguments, or solve complex math problems. Rubrics can be used to assess these competencies and provide detailed feedback to students. In a CBE model, students may progress through a series of levels or competencies, with assessments designed to measure mastery at each stage.

Here is an example of how Moodle could be used to support CBE and AFL:

A high school math teacher has designed a competency-based unit on graphing functions. Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of the following competencies:

• Interpret the meaning of key features of graphs (e.g., intercepts, slope, domain, range).
• Use transformations to graph functions.
• Determine and analyse functions in graphs.

The teacher creates a Moodle course for the unit and sets up quizzes, assignments, and interactive activities to assess these competencies. For example, the teacher might use a quiz to assess students’ ability to interpret the meaning of key features of graphs, an assignment to assess their ability to use transformations to graph functions, and an interactive activity to assess their ability to determine and analyse functions from graphs.

Throughout the unit, the teacher provides frequent feedback to students based on their performance on these assessments. Students are also required to maintain an e-portfolio where they collect evidence of their learning and reflect on their progress. At the end of the unit, the teacher uses a rubric to assess each student’s mastery of the competencies and assigns a grade based on their performance.

In this way, Moodle can be used to support CBE and AFL by providing a flexible and customizable platform for assessing specific competencies, providing feedback to students, and tracking progress through e-portfolios.

In conclusion, Moodle is an excellent tool for implementing competency-based education. By defining competencies, creating assessments, setting learning goals, assessing student progress, and building e-portfolios, teachers can provide a personalised learning experience that helps students master specific skills and knowledge.

Resources for better understanding

Competency-based education (CBE), also known as “competency-based learning” or “skills-based learning,” is a method of assessing and grading students based on their demonstration of these competencies.

Author
Dr R K Suresh
ceo@learnglobe.in