Competency-based learning has become the norm in working life-oriented learning – in corporate training, in higher education, as well as in vocational education. To identify competencies in a way that is accessible for learners is likely to improve learning outcomes. In formal education, flexibly identifying competencies can speed up graduation; in a corporate setting it can improve skills gaps and make organizations more agile.
Competency-based learning creates new challenges for data management, tutoring workflow, and reporting learning progress. Learners need sufficient tools for documenting their work on the go. Trainers need similarly extensive tools for monitoring and assessing learning that takes place in realm environments.
In this article, we drill into the most pressing challenges in competency-based learning and explain how Workseed helps you to identify competencies in a transparent, easy, and accessible way.
To identify resources requires sufficient resources
Learning is a continuous process that is not restricted to formal studies, degree programs, or even corporate training sessions. Up to 80 % of all learning takes place beyond formal learning situations.
In fact formal learning situations, in-person tutoring, and training programs are secondary to learning by doing. This is particularly relevant for practical skills usually taught in corporate or vocational training. The ability to identify competencies acquired in practical contexts and realistic environments is crucial for effective learning.
Our clients often perceive identifying learning that takes place outside the organization as particularly challenging. Trainers often have an insufficient understanding of what the learners are doing and what competencies they have acquired. It is difficult to identify competencies in any formal way.
“It is often challenging to identify competencies that have been acquired in informal contexts.”
Trainers often have limited ability to monitor and assess learning that takes place outside classroom or online courses. Tools for monitoring learning, providing feedback, and formally assessing learning may be few and limited.
In these situations it becomes increasingly difficult to identify competencies. Trainers fail to perceive how much progress learners have actually achieved, and learners’ particular needs and strengths are not taken into account.
How to make learning visible with Workseed
Adequate tools for managing learning make it easier to document and identify competencies. An excellent way to create formal processes for identifying informal learning is to leverage a learning platform or a learning management system to record and assess learning. Workseed is an LMS for working life-oriented learning, making it particularly useful for documenting informal learning situations.
The central feature of Workseed is the ability of learners to document their learning in realistic environments. They can easily document practical tasks using any device, including mobile devices. Documenting learning can include diary entries or multimedia. Regular reports form the basis for feedback, self-assessment, as well as accumulating a portfolio.
Workseed documenting tools have been designed to be used for learning in realistic environments. Thus they are particularly adequate for documenting learning that takes place in informal contexts, through hobbies, or during work.
This way informal learning becomes transparent and formal documentation that may include self assessment and analysis of learning, feedback and formative assessment, and multimedia such as pictures, videos, and audio entries.
A process for identifying competencies acquired in practical situations and realistic learning environments.
All this documentation creates a transparent foundation that makes it possible to identify competencies acquired outside formal learning situations. Better information management can thus facilitate learning and training.
Improve learning with Workseed
Workseed learning management system is an easy and intuitive tool that makes documenting practical and informal learning easier than ever. It provides learners easy tools to make their learning visible, and allows teachers to monitor and identify competencies in their organization fairly and flexibly.
If you are considering using a learning management system in your organization, we recommend you take a look at our popular article on how to choose a learning management system based on user needs. Or for inspiration, we recommend our reference story on how JAMK University of Applied Sciences improved the way it manages internships with Workseed.
If you want to know how to create a workflow for managing learning in your organization, feel free to book a demo with our sales here. We can help you map ways to improve learning management and to identify competencies more flexibly.
