An Introduction to Competency-Based Education

CBE: Higher Education’s Answer to the call for Change

The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) defines competence as the ability to use
knowledge, skills and personal, social and/or methodological abilities, in work or study situations
and in professional and personal development. In the context of the EQF competence is described in
terms of responsibility and autonomy.

CBE, according to The US Department of Education, is defined as “Transitioning away from seat
time, in favor of a structure that creates flexibility, allows students to progress as they demonstrate
mastery of academic content, regardless of time, place, or pace of learning.” Competency-based
strategies provide flexibility in the way that credit can be earned or awarded, and provide students
with personalized learning opportunities.” It establishes a closer link between educational
programmes and societal requirements and enhances interaction with all stakeholders, including the
world of work and wider society. Fostering competences is the object of all educational
programmes. Competences are developed in all course units and assessed at different stages of a
programme. Some competences are subject-area related (specific to a field of study), others are
generic (common to any degree course). It is normally the case that competence development
proceeds in an integrated and cyclical manner throughout a programme.

Competency-Based Education can be understood and approached in two different ways: first, as an
education system where students have personalized learning opportunities and freedom to study
what to study and how to study it. This education system flourishes in a system where universities
have autonomy to choose their curriculum and foster relationship with the labour market. CBE also
needs to fit within the framework of National Qualification Framework since NQF encompasses all
education qualifications – or all higher education qualifications, depending on the policy of the country
concerned – in an education system. They show what learners may be expected to know, understand and be
able to do on the basis of a given qualification (learning outcomes) as well as how qualifications within a
system articulate, that is how learners may move between qualifications in an education system.

Second, competence is a quality, ability or skill that is developed by and that belongs to the student.
The competencies can be classified into Transversal Competences which is required from every
citizen to master such as the ability to learn, digital competencies, communication in native and
foreign language and so on. On the other hand, each degree programme is based on a set of Key
Competences to be developed by the learner in the framework of the degree programme.