This document provides an overview of competence-based education and curriculum development. It defines key concepts like competence, competency, core competency, and discusses approaches to developing competence-based curricula. It also addresses potential pitfalls and challenges, such as ensuring disciplinary knowledge is not reduced. Case studies from Mozambique and Ghana demonstrate how they developed competence-based master's programs using a "royal track" approach involving defining professional and graduate profiles before elaborating on competencies. International cooperation is important for discussing issues around student and teacher involvement and ensuring academic knowledge bases of competencies.

1. COMPETENCE-BASED
CURRICULUM
MUSFERA NARAVADIA
NUR AINUN SIREGAR
K4-13
ENGLISH LANGUAGETEACHING CURRICULUM
MAY 21ST, 2015

2. BACKGROUND
• PRESENT SOCIETY IS CHARACTERIZED BY ITS GROWING COMPLEXITY,
DYNAMICS AND KNOWLEDGE INTENSITY.THIS REQUIRES PROFESSIONALS
WHO ARE ABLETO FACE CONFIDENTLY AND EXPERTLY NEW SITUATIONS AND
PROBLEMS.
• IN CASE OF ACADEMIC PROFESSIONALSTHEY SHOULD POSSES, NEXTTO
ABROAD AND PROFOUND DOMAIN-SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS,THE
CAPABILITYTO ACQUIRE EXPEDITIOUSLY KNOWLEDGE AND KNOW-HOW
WHERE ANDWHEN NEEDED.
• LEARNING IN A PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT HAS,THEREFORE, BECOME MORE
IMPORTANT AND GENERAL ACADEMIC EDUCATION IS BECOMING MORE
PROFESSIONAL OR PROFESSIONALLY ORIENTED.
• INTHIS PERSPECTIVE, CBE COULD BE AN APPROPRIATE CHOICE

3. INTRODUCTIO
N
EDUCATION FACESTHE PROBLEMTHAT KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION
DOES NOT NECESSARY MEANTHE SUCCESFUL APPLICATION OF
THE SAME KNOWLEDGE.
ASPECT OF A DIFFERENTVIEW OF KNOWLEDGE ARE:
• THE CLASSICAL CONCEPT OF KNOWLEDGE AS SCHOOL-BASED
AND DISCIPLINE-BASED IS BROADENED.
• THE DEVELOPMENT OF KNOWLEDGE ISTAKING PLACE IN MORE
DIVERSE CONTEXT: DISCIPLINE-BASEDTYPE AND THE CONTEXT OF
APPLICATION.

4. THE CONCEPTS OF COMPETENCE AND
COMPETENCE-BASED EDUCATION
• COMPETENCE ISTHE QUALITY OR STATE OF BEING COMPETENT.
• A COMPETENCY IS CONCEPTUALISED INTHE MODEL ASTHE
CAPABILITYTO CHOOSE AND USE (APPLY) AN INTEGRATED
COMBINATION OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILS, AND ATTITUDES WITHTHE
INTENTIONTO REALISE ATASK.
• COMPETENCE ISTHEN DEFINED ASTHE CAPACITYTO REALIZE ‘UP
TO STANDARD’ THE KEY OCCUPATIONALTASKSTHAT
CHARACTERISE A PROFESSION.

5. FIVE GROUPS OF COMPETENCE
DEFINITIONS
• COMPETENCE AS THE ABILITYTO PERFORM AT A DESIRED LEVEL OR
ACCORDINGTO A CERTAIN STANDARD. (COMPETENCE AS OUTPUT)
• COMPETENCE AS THE ABILITYTO CHOOSE AND USETHE ATTRIBUTES
(KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ATTITUDES)THAT ARE NEEDED FOR A
PERFORMANCE AT A DESIRED LEVEL. (INVOLVED META-COGNITIVE ATTRIBUTES)
• COMPETENCE AS THE POSSESSION OF CERTAIN ATTRIBUTES (KNOWLEDGE,
SKILLS, AND ATTITUDES). OR COMPETENCE AS INPUT.
• COMPETENCE AS A MERE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT SOMEONE CAN DO.
(COMPETENCE AS OUTPUT)
• MORE ELABORATE DEFINITIONS OF COMPETENCE, CONTAINING ELEMENTS OF
FOUR GROUPS ABOVE.

6. CONT….
• “COMPETENCE ISTHE CAPABILITY OF A PERSON OR AN ORGANISATION
TO REACH SPECIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS. PERSONAL COMPETENCIES
COMPRISE: INTEGRATED PERFORMANCE ORIENTED CAPABILITIES, WHICH
CONSISTS OF CLUSTERS OF KNOWLEDGE STRUCTURES AND ALSO
COGNITIVE, INTERACTIVE, AFFECTIVE, ANDWHERE NECESSARY
PSYCHOMOTOR CAPABILITIES, AND ATTITUDES ANDVALUES, WHICH ARE
CONDITIONAL FOR CARRYING OUTTASKS, SOLVING PROBLEMS AND
MORE GENERALLY, EFFECTIVELY FUNCTIONING IN A CERTAIN
PROFESSION, ORGANIZATION, POSITION OR ROLE.” (MULDER, 2001)

7. COMPETENCY & COMPETENCE
• COMPETENCY IS THE CAPABILITY TO CHOOSE AND USE (APPLY) AN INTEGRATED
COMBINATION OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ATTITUDES WITH THE INTENTION TO REALISE
A TASK IN A CERTAIN CONTEXT, WHILE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS
MOTIVATION, SELF-CONFIDENCE,WILLPOWER ARE PART OFTHAT CONTEXT.
• A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL SHOWSA SATISFACTORY (OR SUPERIOR)
PERFORMANCE.
• KEY OCCUPATIONALTASK ARETHETASKTHAT ARE CHARACTERISTICS FOR A
PROFESSION.

8. CORE COMPETENCY
• CORE COMPETENCY ISTHE SET OF APPROPRIATE COMPETENCIES
NEEDEDTO REALISE A KEY OCCUPATIONALTASK AT A SATISFACTORY OR
SUPERIOR LEVEL.
• CORE COMPETENCIES ARE DIRECTLY LINKEDTO KEY OCCUPATIONAL
TASKS AND ARE INTEGRATED CLUSTERS OF DOMAIN-SPECIFIC AND
GENERIC COMPETENCIES.
• THETERM ‘CORE COMPETENCIES’ IS ALSO USED INTHE SENSE OF
STRATEGIC BUSINESS CAPABILITIESTHAT PROVIDE COMPANYWITH
MARKETPLACE ADVANTAGES.

9. THE CATEGORIZED OF COMPETENCIES IN
THIS MODEL
• DOMAIN-SPECIFIC, RELATINGTO CLUSTERS OF KNOWLEDGE,
SKILLS, AND ATTITUDES WITHIN ONE SPECIFIC CONTENT
DOMAIN RELATEDTOTHE PROFESSION.
• GENERIC, BECAUSETHEY ARE NEEDED IN ALL CONTENT
DOMAINS AND CAN BE UTILISED IN NEW PROFESSIONAL
SITUATIONS (TRANSFER)

10. • INTHE DEVELOPMENT OF A CBC, A SEQUENCE IS FOLLOWED
(SOMETIMES CALLEDTHE ‘ROYALTRACK’) INVOLVING THE
FORMULATION OF A PROFESSIONAL PROFILE WITH KEY
OCCUPATIONALTASKS, FOLLOWED BY GRADUATE PROFILE WITH
(SELECTED) CORE COMPETENCIESTHAT RELATE DIRECTLYTOTHE
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE.

11. CERTAIN DIMENSIONS OF COMPETENCE DEFINITION
PRAGMATIC APPROACH OF COMPETENCE DEFINITION
• THE CONTEX MAY BE NARROW OR BROAD.THE CONTEXT MAY RANGE
FROM PROFESSIONAL FIELD OR CULTURETO SPECIFIC ROLES INTHE
PROFESSION.
• GENERIC OR SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES
• COMPETENCY IS ONTHE SURFACE OR DEEP

12. ICEBERG
(SPENCER&SPENCER:1993)
• SKILLSAND KNOWLEDGEARE DISCUSSABLEAND OBSERVABLE,ASTHE
VISIBLE PART OF AN ICEBERG, BUTTHE SELF-CONCEPT, ATTITUDES,
VALUESAND PERSONALITYTRAITS ARE UNDERTHE SURFACE, NOT
DIRECTLY OBSERVABLE BUT PART OFTHE FACTORSTHAT DRIVE
PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOUR.
• ONION MODEL ALSO ILLUSTRATEDTHE INSTRUMENTALVIEW OF
COMPETENCIES ANDTHE INTEGRATIONWITHTHE PERSONALTRAITS
LEADINGTO CERTAIN BEHAVIOURAND CERTAIN OUTCOMES (CHANGE IN
THE ENVIRONMENT)

13. COMPETENCE – BASED (HIGHER) EDUCATION
• CBE IS ORIENTEDTOTHE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE.
• CBE IS LEARNER- CENTERED ANDTHE LEARNING PROCESS IS CENTRAL.
• CBE HAS A CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH.
• IN CBE,THE ROLE OFTHETEACHER ISTHAT OF COGNITIVE GUIDE.
• CBE HAS LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOCUSED ONTHE DEVELOPMENT OF
COMPETENCIES.
• CBE INCLUDESTHE DEVELOPMENT OF GENERIC COMPETENCIES
• IN CBE, ASSESSMENT FOCUSED ON COMPETENCIES
• IN CBE, CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IS BASED INTHE ELABORATION OF
PROFILES AND IDENTIFICATIONS OF COMPETENCIES

14. THE INFLUENCE OF “COMPETENCE
THINKING”
•CATEGORY 1 : PURPOSEFUL EDUCATION, NEW OBJECTIVE AND
NEWTEACHING AND LEARNING APPROACH
•CATEGORY 2 : INTEGRATION VIA CASES
•CATEGORY 3 : LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENTTRAJECTORIES
•CATEGORY 4 : DEMAND- DRIVEN, AIMED AT DEVELOPMENT OF
COMPETENCIES

15. PAINS AND PITFALLS IN COMPETENCE –
BASED EDUCATION
• THE DANGER OFTHE PRACTICE OF CBC:
• THE MINOR ROLE OF DISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE,TOGETHERWITH A
HAPHAZARDTAKING IN OF PIECES OF DISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE BY
STUDENTS.
• IT IS NARROWED DOWNTOTHE ACQUISITION OFTHINKING STYLES,
ATTITUDES AND SCHEMES FOR PROBLEM SOLVING RELATEDTO A
SPECIFIC PROFESSION.

16. • CBC CONCERNS ONTHE BEHAVIOURIST APPROACH ANDTHEVIEWTHAT CBC IS
BASICALLY ECONOMICALLY DRIVEN.
• TOO MUCH BEHAVIOURISM IN CBC LEADSTO AN EXCESSIVELY REDUCTIONIST,
NARROW, RIGID, ATOMISED APPROACH. IT IGNORES CONNECTION BETWEEN
TASKS AND ATTRIBUTES UNDERLYING PERFORMANCE.
• CBC SHOULD INCLUDE MORE GENERIC COMPETENCIES (CORE SKILLS, KEY
COMPETENCIES, ESSENTIAL SKILLS, FOUNDATION SKILLS).
• EMPHASIS SHOULD BE PUT ONTEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND IN
ASSESSMENT ONTHE “…GENERAL ABILITYTO LEARN AND APPLY
COMPETENCIES IN MANY DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF A PERSON’S ACTIVITIES.”

17. • ONE WAY OF DEALING WITHTHE PITFALLS OF SUPERFICIAL
LEARNINGTHROUGH CBC IN HIGHER EDUCATION HAS BEEN
A FOCUS ONTHE QUESTION WHAT MAKES EDUCATION
“ACADEMIC” OR WHAT ACADEMIC COMPETENCIES STUDENTS
SHOULD ACQUIRE IN HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMMES.”

18. 1. COMPETENT IN ONE OR
MORE SCIENTIFIC
DICIPLINES
CONCERNS EXISTING KNOWLEDGE AND
ARTEFACTS
4. A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH
DOMAIN METHOD
2. COMPETENT IN
DOING
RESEARCH
UNDERSTANDING
3. COMPETENT IN
DESIGNING
MAKING
5. BASIC
INTELLECTUAL
SKILLS
INDIVIDUAL
6. COMPTENCE IN
CO-OPERATING
AND
COMMUNICATING
WITH OTHERS
7.TAKES ACCOUNT OFTHETEMPORAL AND SOCIETAL CONTEXT
CONTEXT
A
C
A
D
E
M
I
C
C
O
M
P
E
T
E
N
C
I
E
S

19. CBCTEACHERWILL ALSO HAVETO ANSWER
THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS
• HOW CANTEACHERS LEARNTO CONSTRUCT APPLICATION ORIENTED
LEARNINGTASKS OR SELECTTHEM FROMTHAT CONTEXTTHAT ARE
AUTHENTIC AND MEANINGFULTO STUDENTS?
• HOW CANTEACHERS LEARNTO SHAPE ‘STEERING OF SELF-STEERING’?

20. THE EXAMPLE OF CBC HIGHER EDUCATION IN
AFRICA
• TAKING PLACE OF MOZAMBIQUE AND GHANA, IN BOTH CASES
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROJECTSWERE UNDERTAKENWITH
THE AIMTO DESIGN AND DEVELOPCOMPETENCE-BASED MASTER
PROGRAMMES.
• IN MOZAMBIQUE,THE DEVELOPMENTOF FORMAL CURRICULUM
STARTEDWITH NEED ASSESSMENT, ADMINISTEREDTO
REPRESENTATIVES OF RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITIES.
• IN GHANA,THE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROCESS STARTED
WITHTHE “ROYALTRACK”

21. THE FOLLOWING STEPS OF ROYALTRACK
• FORMULATIONOF A PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
• FORMULATIONOF A GRADUATE PROFILE
• ELABORATING COMPETENCY DESCRIPTIONS
• THE FORMULATIONOF COMPONENTSTO BEADDRESSED BYTHE NEW CURRICULUM.
• THE KNOWLEDGE ITEMSTHATWERE FORMULATED BASED ONTHETEN CORE
COMPETENCIESCOULD BE CONDENSEDTO 6THEMES.
• GENERIC SKILLSWERE GROUPED INTO : PROBLEMSSOLVING SKILLS-COMMUNICATION- ICT
SKILLS- HUMAN RELATIONS- LEADERSHIPSKILLS,CRITICAL/ANALYTICALTHINKING- LEARNING
TO LEARN- SELF-REACTION.
• CURRICULUM STRUCTURE WAS DESIGNED AND FURTHER SHAPEDWITH
COURSES.
• TWO “LEARNING LINES” HAS BEEN DESINED, RUNNINGTHROUGHOUTTHE
FIRSTTHREE SEMESTER.
• GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSMENT AND FOR CREATING RICH LEARNING
ENVIRONMENTS HAVE BEEN FORMULATED.

22. THE CONCLUSION OF CBC HIGHER EDUCATION IN
AFRICA
• DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN MOZAMBIQUE AND GHANA, AND
MANY MORE COUNTRIES INTHE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, SHOWTHAT IN A
GLOBALISED CONTEXT PROBLEMSAND CHALLENGES IN EDUCATION ARE
BECOMING MORE AND MORE SIMILAR.
• INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION MAY CONTRIBUTETOTHE EXCHANGE OF
EXPERIENCE AND DISCUSSION OF IMPORTANT ISSUES WITH RESPECTTO
CBE.
• SOMETHESE ISSUES CONCERNTHE INVOLMENT OF STUDENTS AND
TEACHERS INTHE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF CBC, HOWTO KEEPTHEM
MOTIVETED IN LONG-TERM PROCESSES OF CURRICULAR CHANGE, AND, MOT
OF ALL,THE QUESTION OFTHE (ACADEMIC) KNOWLEDGE BASE OF
COMPETENCIES.

23. Kowenhoven,W. 2011. Competence-based Curriculum Development in
Higher Education: A Globalized Concept?. VU University Amsterdam