Educación

The Competency-Based Approach to Training
P A P E R # 1 • S E P T E M B E R 1 9 9 5

Prepared by:

Richard S. Sullivan, Ph.D. Director, Training Office

U.S. Agency for International Development

JHPIEGO Strategy Papers are designed to summarize JHPIEGO’s experience in reproductive health, with a focus on education and training. The papers are intended for use by program staff ofJHPIEGO, USAID and its cooperating agencies and other organizations providing or receiving technical assistance in the area of reproductive health training.

©Copyright 1995 by JHPIEGO Corporation. All rights reserved.

Financial support for this publication was provided in part by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The views expressed in this report are those of theauthors/editors and do not necessarily reflect those of USAID.

JHPIEGO, an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins University, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health of women and families globally.

NORPLANT® is the registered trademark of the Population Council for subdermal levonorgestrel implants.

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hroughout the world, millions of students go to school every day. Thesestudents study subjects such as science, language and

Obviously, the time-based educational system used in schools and universities is not appropriate when conducting training. A more appropriate approach is competency-based training (CBT).

mathematics in courses usually scheduled to last the duration of the school year. Because progression through the various subjects in school istime-based, at any given time during the year the teacher is expected to be at a specific point in the textbook or course content. While not every student may progress at the same rate, the schedule typically requires everyone to move at the same rate as the teacher. Tests are administered periodically to ensure students understand the concepts and principles. Test scores often are compared to determine thegrades of the students. Unfortunately, when a student does not do well on a test there often is little time for individual assistance as the teacher must move on in order to adhere to the established time schedule. While traditional, time-based approaches to education have met with varying levels of success over the years, it is an ineffective system when the goal is to train individuals toperform specific, job-related skills. For example, an active, certified airline pilot is attending a 3-week training course to learn to fly a new type of aircraft. Will attending all sessions during the course ensure the pilot can fly the plane? Of course not! If the pilot is unable to attend 2 days of the course, does this mean the pilot cannot fly the plane? Probably not. After 4 days, the pilot doespoorly on a written test. Should the pilot immediately fail the course or should the pilot continue with assistance and be given the opportunity to be tested again? If the pilot can pass all written tests does this indicate that the pilot can fly the plane? No! In addition to assessing knowledge, an evaluation of the pilot’s skills also is required.

What is CBT?
In a traditional educationalsystem, the unit of progression is time and it is teacher-centered. In a CBT system, the unit of progression is mastery of specific knowledge and skills and is learner- or participantcentered. Two key terms used in competency-based training are: •
Skill—A task or group of tasks performed to a

specific level of competency or proficiency which often use motor functions and typically require themanipulation of instruments and equipment (e.g., IUD insertion or Norplant® implants removal). Some skills, however, such as counseling, are knowledge- and attitudebased. •
Competency—A skill performed to a specific

standard under specific conditions. There appears to be substantial support for competency-based training. Norton (1987) believes that competency-based training should be used as...