Creating Competency-Based Online Distance Learning Courses

Learning occurs as a result of information absorption and retention, and can be proven with various forms of assessment. Education is the process of knowledge transfer; which can be separated into two components: curriculum, or what is taught; and instruction, or how information is taught. When a program of study has been selected for competency-based education, a variety of instructional tools can assist course creation for both normal classroom delivery and effective online distance learning.

Competency-based education focuses on skill acquisition. The mental picture that usually accompanies "skill" resembles learning to use a tool; if a body of knowledge can be compared to a physical tool, then student ability to use the tool can be demonstrated in the classroom and as a part of online distance education.

Course material was once synonymous with and heavily based on presentation mode. Success was measured by number of students who completed courses, as defined by rote memorization and repetition. Now, technology empowers educators to create and deliver successful electronic learning experiences. Separating content from presentation transforms measurement processes which are the heart of competency-based education. This frees students to focus on course content and assessment without hampering factors such as distance from campus or academic year course schedules.

Competency-based course creation itself is a retrograde process, in that deliverables determine the course; in effect, assignments define course content. This results in a general outline of how each lesson should be conducted. The educator gears each course based on factors such as student age, speed of course, and so on. Lessons are associated with learning activities that have specific outcomes. Final assessments such as presentations and demonstrations allow the instructor to observe student competency.

After having defined the course content, the educator reinserts presentation modes to make each competency-based lesson as effective as possible. At this point the course may be ready for the traditional classroom. For online courses, most notably those with a potentially worldwide student base, a course can be made more "robust" with a few interim steps. Then, through testing and other feedback methodologies, students prove that knowledge inherent in lessons has been learned and the course objectives met.

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