In an article by John F. Ebersole, president of Excelsior College in Albany, NY, he brings out the difference between measuring mastery versus competency, especially needed now since more competency-based programs are popping up. Ebersole describes competency as what a person can do rather than what a person knows (mastery). Because a large number of employers have been underwhelmed by incoming new hires that seem to lack competency, they are dissatisfied with the academic programs from which these hires come. Understandable.

One of the strengths of Tuning is to ensure that students are assessed on the skills of their chosen field. The learning outcomes that are developed through this process include this aspect. So, competency-based programs could certainly be served by Tuning.

I recall a question posed to a representative of Western Governor’s University at the Tuning Symposium that was held in June 2013 in Indianapolis, IN. He was asked about the lack of disclosure on the school’s programs’ competencies. From the information provided on the school’s website, graduates seem to do pretty well after they are hired. So, the school must be doing something right. Perhaps the person who questioned the representative wanted to know what they were doing so that it could potentially be incorporated or at least compared to Tuning. Learning from others’ success is a good thing.

Whether more institutions actually demonstrate competency of their students remains to be seen. But having the definition of competency versus mastery clear for everyone is the important point that Ebersole is making. If you cannot reach a consensus on the definition, then the results cannot be expected to be comparable.

Reference:
Ebersole, J. F. (2014, July 25). Let’s differentiate between ‘competency’ and ‘mastery’ in higher ed. Inside Higher Ed.
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/07/25/lets-differentiate-between-competency-and-mastery-higher-ed-essay?width=775&height=500&iframe=true