How a Skills Graph is the First Step Toward Competency-Based Education

With competency-based education making national headlines, many educators are eager to implement this new learning style. Early adopters have already demonstrated that CBE has extraordinary potential for all types of learners, from those in trade school to business programs to the fine arts.

But CBE programs are not simple to design and establish, and many universities that consider it are facing years of planning.

The good news is that it is possible to move in that direction now with a walk-before-you-run mindset. And the first steps toward implementing CBE may be using a skills graph in individual courses and programs. That’s because a skills graph shares with CBE a focus on defined objectives.

A quick refresher: CBE is an evidence-based method of learning that requires proficiency in particular abilities instead of satisfaction of a number of course hours. It often involves sophisticated software with courses that focus on “mastery of specific knowledge and skills . . . via exams, portfolios, and projects.”