Competency-Based Learning; A Make or Break For Corporate Training

Competency-based learning is a popular topic in education and training, but like a lot of new concepts, it can mean different things to different people. The US Department of Education defines competency-based learning as any type of learning that allows learners to progress as they demonstrate mastery of academic content, regardless of time, place, or pace of learning. Competency-based models have shown to improve outcomes in higher education settings and will become a game changer for corporate training and compliance.  This type of learning enables learners to master skills at their own pace while saving companies time, money, and gain deeper insights into whether their employees will be able to apply that knowledge back to the workforce.  It’s a win-win for employees and companies.

Here’s what you need to know about this form of learning.

Emphasize Mastery And Not Seat Time

Historically, learning outcomes in the corporate training and compliance space have been defined by seat time and completion. Under this model, a training event is defined by a specific number of hours which the employee must complete.  How well an employee mastered the material (competencies) is secondary.  As long as they “passed” some type of quiz or exam, the training box is checked and they’re back to the workforce.  

Studies have shown that up to 80% of training material is never applied back to the job. Competency-based learning can reduce this scrap learning.

Under this antiquated model, however, studies have shown that up to 80% of training material is never applied back to the job.  With a competency-based model, employees complete the course when they’ve clearly demonstrated mastery of the material, not when the course ends.  Some will finish faster, while others will take longer.  Layer that with an adaptive learning platform that remediates an employee in real-time and pinpoints the level of understanding for each individual competency and we’re now looking at a powerful solution, which will greatly reduce that 80% gap to substantive, measurable levels.

Take A Personalized Approach

If we’re measuring outcomes over seat time, we’re already putting the spotlight where it should be—on the learner. But to help the learner achieve mastery, we need to personalize the way we engage with the learner. Personalized engagement can take multiple forms, including:

• Different learning modalities – learners can choose the educational style that’s right for them, whether they prefer videos, ebooks, or interactive exercises.
• Individualized pace – the learner sets their own pace because what they learn is more important than how fast they learn.
• Adaptive learning – the lessons and difficulty level must change dynamically to address the strengths and weaknesses of each individual learner. When there’s a knowledge gap, the learner is given the opportunity to build towards a complete understanding, and when she’s demonstrated mastery, the course moves on to the next challenge.

Use Learning Analytics

Competency-based learning powered through an adaptive learning platform depends on analytics in several ways. First, analytics tell us what we need to know about a learner’s performance and engagement so the course can be personalized to meet his individual needs. Second, analytics gives us the big picture so that we know if the learner has actually achieved mastery. But there’s even more good news.  These analytics can be used by organizations to pinpoint exactly what an employee knows down to a single learning objective and at what level of understanding: Is it merely rote memorization or can the learner apply the knowledge through analysis and critical thinking?  These data points can help reduce risk for compliance heavy industries, maximize efficiencies for process driven jobs, and greatly reduce the amount of time spent training.

At Fulcrum Labs, we took our years of experience delivering competency-based, adaptive learning courseware in the higher education market and have employed these models in heavily regulated compliance industries and we are seeing tremendous results.  From aviation to medical compliance, Fulcrum Labs products are being used by Fortune 500 companies to reduce risk and increase efficiencies.