Complete Step-by-Step Competency Course and Program Development Guide Part 4, Step 1

Part 4: Competency Development Step by Step Now that the structure of the competency, roles and responsibilities, and the design approach are clear, it is time to walk through the steps of competency development. Please note that much of the initial work on identifying competencies, objectives, and summative assessments is already complete so those tasks will not fall to the faculty SME. The Program Council completed this work during the planning year for this project, [YEARS]. The Council created the [Program Name] Competency Domain Map, the Summative Assessment Map (Appendix E), and sequenced the competencies across an eight-term Academic Plan. In order to create these maps, Program Council teams worked to assure alignment with [UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE NAME]’s traditional programs by reviewing the following: o ILOs and PLOs (Appendix C) o Existing [UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE NAME] course content o Existing [UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE NAME] syllabi o Signature Assignment Descriptions (which may be used as the summative assessment) (Appendix D) These same resources may be valuable to the faculty SME in the competency development process. Note that, from this point forward, the reader will be addressed as “you,” to better provide directions. The diagram below is a representation of the typical workflow for developing a competency, beginning with Step 1. Although there are distinct steps, there will be constant review and evaluation of content and materials being developed to ensure instructional alignment and integrity. It’s also important to continually think about how to make the competency come to life for the student. Including as much real-world material (in terms of content, assessments and learning activities) will make for a unique and engaging experience for the user. Throughout the process of competency development, the faculty SME should also keep in mind the overall picture of this competency within the [Program Name] program and how to make connections/references to other competencies. A Competency Analysis/Brainstorm List (Appendix H) can be used to help think through the creative aspects of development. Each step of the development process is broken out into specific detail below. As you read, please note that Steps 2 and 3 are different depending upon whether you are working on a Type I or Type II competency, so please select the correct instructions for your situation. Steps 1 and 4 are the same for Type I and II competencies.