COMPETENCY-BASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT: AN EXPERIMENTAL MODEL FOR SOCIAL SERVICE WORKERS

George C. Burrill, Ph.D.

A B S T R A C T : The call for relevance in higher education has opened the doorway from the classroom to the community. Creative methods to provide viable academic exercises within this context are being sought by increasing numbers of faculty and administrators. Competency-based curriculum development is one method being proposed as having strong poten- tial. This article describes a competency design and documentation process that was developed during a one-year research and demonstration program for social service workers. The process was found to provide greater accountability for learning situations that link theory and fieldwork. It was also found to revitalize dialogue between field professionals and academic faculty, with students as active participants.

Competency-based curriculum development, a new concept in higher education, is being explored and tested throughout the United States. Curriculum is being recast to put forth specific goals and measurable achievements while allowing students to find their own routes by various means. These competency-based systems stress clear demonstrat ion of ability through a variety of evaluation methods: teams including nonacademic practitioners of the skills and consumers of services, assessment on the job by a supervisor, inter- views, role playing, and documentat ion of nonacademic experience. Those who are curious about this educational approach outnumber those who have tested it or have designed programs through which specific competencies can be identified and demonstrated by stu- dents.

The following design and documentat ion process was developed during a one-year research and demonstrat ion training program for a

*George C. Burrill received his Ph.D. from the Union Graduate School (Yellow Springs, Ohio). He is presently Academic Director at the Vermont Institute of Community Involvement, 90 Main Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401. 132 Alternative Higher Education, Vol. 1(2), 1976

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group of 25 social service workers through specialized classes and competency-based, on-the-job training. Academic credit on an as- sociate level from the Vermont Institute of Communi ty Involvement was made available for on-the-job training through development of job-related performance competencies. These performance com- petencies helped to ensure cont inui ty in experience, and recognition of the worker's skills and duties by the state's human service system. Once fully developed, competency statements aided workers in de- fining job needs in relation to other staff members in their office or agency. Furthermore, competencies provided a performance standard that the social services system had not ye t developed, and later they served as one basis for personnel upgrading.

THE PERFORMANCE-BASED COMPETENCY DESIGN PROCESS

First, assumptions concerning on-the-job learning were clarified. Next, general competency areas were developed, fol- lowed by identification of skills within each general area. The format of the competency statements was then considered; it was revised based on comments, observations, and problems uncovered in the field. This process was, in reality, mutable and varied with each competency area developed. Several areas were redesigned as added skills were identified or when expert comments were received indi- cating a need to do so. Although this process was tested in a social service context , it is believed that the model can be employed in most performance-based competency curriculum development el- forts for human services.

Assumptions

The designing of competency statements in this effort was underpinned by several assumptions. First, it was assumed that on-the-job learning is often worthy of academic credit but that " r andom" job experience is not admissible. Job learning could, however, be related to skills that were recognized as vital by profes- sionals in the field and classroom. In this developmental stage it was necessary not only to clarify the relationship between course mate- riaI and job skills, but also (1) to provide a modali ty that would facilitate awareness and acquisition of these skills outside of the classroom whenever possible and (2) to provide a format for recogni-

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tion of specific skills acquired in the field that have previously been "expected outcomes" of academic effort.

Finally, it was assumed that on-the-job learning is measured most accurately by competency testing. In a competency test a sample of on-the-job performance is evaluated or a particular skill required in the field is tested on a performance level. The following discussion summarizes the process used to establish performance-based com- petency content and format.

General Competency Areas

Preliminary interviews with randomly selected aides already on the job and with local office supervisors uncovered nine general areas for curriculum development. These were the main function areas requiring special skills that might be developed during work hours. They included child care, day care administration, supportive services, licensing of homes, resource and communi ty development, reporting and evaluation, crisis counseling, manage- ment and supervision, and drug- and alcohol-abuse management.

Subsequent interviews with aides were conducted in order to confirm aide interest in, and the relevance of, these competency areas. Also, it was possible to confirm that the agency and the job would actually provide opportunities for learning within the nine areas.

Skill Definition

After general competency areas had been es- tablished, aides were questioned about specific job tasks and the skills related to them. If aides, for example, performed the task of " in take" for day care services, that task was divided into component skills such as financial formula computations, application of criteria for program eligibility, notat ion of special circumstances, and so forth. This data became the basis for competency content.

The Competency Format

Each general area was divided into skills. A skill within the Reporting and Evaluation Competency, for example, was defined as follows:

The aide is able to use a critical approach in evaluating and planning to meet the problems of a group, community, agency, family, or individual.

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Each skill was then examined for grounds, or performance skill correlates, on which it could be assessed. Grounds developed to test the competency o f an aide for this Report ing and Evaluation skill were:

The aide will demonstrate the ability to t. Define a problem using a collaborative process, 2. Identify several alternatives for solution, 3. Choose an alternative and further develop it into a plan, 4. Implement the plan, 5. Evaluate the outcome of the plan.

The means of documenta t ion , or the way in which an aide might demonstrate that he or she has a skill, was left open-ended. Three of the possible means are listed here:

1. Examination by an expert. This can be an oral or writ ten "ex- aminat ion" by a specialist on the specific grounds of the com- petency. In this case the aide must identify an expert; the expert must cert ify the aide's competency in writing following the exam.

2. Letter. This can include a verification by the supervisor (or in this case, a social worker) , through concrete examples, of the aide's demonst ra ted knowledge or ability on the specific grounds.

3. Article, publication, or other printed matter. This form of veri- fication can be, for example, a newspaper article concerning the aide's successful complet ion of a workshop dealing with the spe- cific grounds.

Other means were case records, observation on the job by a spe- cialist, videotapes, and client letters.

Skill s tatements were wri t ten in the present tense to indicate the assumption tha t the aide is compe ten t at the t ime of testing. It was in tended to establish clearly the differentiat ion o f skill s tatements and instructional goals. Grounds were measurable and demonstrable statements related to the skill involved. Within each skill s ta tement specificity of grounds was repeatedly stressed.

Validation

Two types of experts were approached: profes- sionals working within social service agencies and academicians with extensive experience. They were asked to read the draft statements critically and to evaluate both the skills outlined and the format

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planned for use in documentat ion. These specialists were asked to help answer the following questions:

1. Are the general area and the skills enumerated within it wor thy of academic credit at an associate degree level?

2. Are the skills relevant to the social service field in general? Within Vermont?

3. Has credit amount been correctly assigned to each skill? 4. Are the grounds measurable? 5. Does the format provide opportunities for use of the competency

in future educational programs?

Based both on experts' comments and on extended field observa- tions, the statements were rewritten to define skills and grounds more clearly and to increase the congruence of statements and actual job requirements.

THE DOCUMENTATION PROCESS

The procedure followed by students to obtain aca- demic credit was as follows:

The students were introduced to the concept of competency-based curriculum in a group setting.

Faculty members held individual conferences with each student to determine understanding and interest level. This was an integral part of academic and career planning for the student.

Students then selected specific competency areas and skills within each area. They completed rough outlines that described how they intended to document the chosen competencies.

Faculty members again held individual conferences with students to determine methods of personal documentation. These discussions were quite concrete: What did the student intend to do? In what sequence? Who would serve as experts? How would documentat ion be worded? Faculty involvement at this stage in the process was paramount in completing the documentat ion phase. Faculty were also responsible for determining the appropriateness of experts soli- cited by the student, with final approval given by the educational institution.

Students completed their packet for one or more credits. Each skill s tatement was supported by three sections: (1 ) the competency statement with the grounds of evaluation, (2) the student 's descrip- tion of what he or she did to illustrate competence, and (3) verifica-

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tion that corroborated the aide's description. Each packet was reviewed by the institution and either accepted or rejected based upon the quality and scope of documentat ion.

IMPLICATIONS

The requirements of accountabili ty demand a clearer definition of the relationship between academic learning and applied technique. The performance competency approach to cur- riculum development provides a functional focus for learning that links theory and field work. Whereas higher educational institutions have found it difficult to frame academic programs around the changing skill needs of communi ty , government, and educational organizations, this competency design and documentat ion process can provide a common standard for both the educator and the supervisor of a student-worker.

The call for relevance in education has opened the doorway from the classroom to the communi ty . Students may find learning experi- ences in volunteer work, independent study, ongoing jobs, short- or long-term training experiences, special-focus seminars, or various combinations of these modalities. All of these approaches are bound together by the need to understand current occupational demands and to transform these requirements into viable academic exercises that not only enhance "operat ional" abilities but also the individual's personal philosophy.

One positive by-product of the competency approach is revitalized dialogue between field professionals and academic faculty personnel. The cross-fertilization of knowledge areas can provide an impetus for continual curriculum innovation. Instructors will discover new ways to test the validity of their educational theories; professionals will reacquaint themselves with the conceptual aspects of their fields; and students can actively participate in this dialogue.

Despite the promise of competency curricula, caution must be exercised when initiating a performance-based program. Performance cannot be used as a substi tute for academic rigor. Without careful evaluation of s tudent progress and constant dialogue between in- structor and student, competency-based curricula pose a danger of turning higher education into a tool of the marketplace world. Therefore, several suggestions are made to maintain the educational balance: (1) continued s tudy of competency evaluation techniques, such as the general model outlined, (2) research concerning the

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relationship between performance competencies and more general knowledge areas, and (3) watchfulness to maintain the vitality of education as both action--reflected by performance, and contempla- t ion-mani fes ted in dialogue.

With these provisos it is believed that the performance com- petency approach can insure continuity of skill development as well as recognition of special skills and duties. It can help minimize preferential treatment, provide concrete measures of accomplish- ment, and encourage the student both to develop technical skills and to function at higher levels of abstraction.