The article suggests recommended student competencies for students using low vision devices at preschool, elementary, and secondary levels. It also presents an extensive bibliography on low vision aids for special educators. (DB)

Examines the logical and psychological aspects of competency-based staff development programs. Analyzes myths of competency-based learning (CBL) and indicates that incorporating principles of CBL with those of adult learning may be a way to improve staff development programs. (JOW)

The mentor-student relationship of two nurse teachers led to the development of a cyclic model of mentoring. Competencies for teaching nursing were used as a primary learning tool, and the mentor roles of envisioner, standard-prodder, and challenger, as well as the student's motivation, were instrumental in achieving the competencies. (SK)

We need to get clear agreement in the United States on what students should know and be able to do. We also need to invest in education. An initiative filed in Colorado earmarks a one-cent sales tax for education. (MLF)

Reviews competency-based models developed by the Ontario Society for Training and Development, American Society for Training and Development, Australia's National Training Board, and Britain's Training and Development Lead Body. Suggests an integrated approach that identifies knowledge, skills, and attributes underlying performance without rigid…

A 1995 Australian study found adoption of competency-based training (CBT) in technical and further education was much slower than planned. A 1997 study revealed wide variation in CBT implementation. Over 10 years the system is becoming workable but it is not yet evident whether it is improving the skills of the work force. (SK)

A baccalaureate nursing curriculum was redesigned around eight core competencies with measurable indicators for each performance-based competency outcome. Effective learning strategies to achieve outcomes and methods to document achievement were also outlined. (SK)

An Australian study assessed the effectiveness of competency-based training (CBT). Key advantages to employers were relevant, job-specific skills; learning and assessing done on the job; standardized outcomes; and accountability. Issues included recognition of the role of expert practitioners, limitations of CBT as workplaces change, and…

Study of the implementation of management National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in three British organizations identified problems with the competency-based format. Although NVQs are supposedly based on actual workplace practice, candidates work toward criteria that may not match roles and responsibilities and developmental work is…

Competency-based training is not a singular model; it embeds radically different conceptions of competence, depending on whether delivery and assessment of training incorporate industry standards. Models that maintain a tension between the outcomes and processes of education and training, rather than a focus solely on outcomes, are most…

A learned-behavior approach to competency-based management education involves (1) learning and role plying of micro skills; (2) observing, critiquing, and reflecting on use of micro skills; (3) application in real situations; and (4) analysis of application. Micro skills components and inductive learning of behavior provide a useful foundation for…

Suggests that practical and emancipatory knowledge (Habermas, 1971) have been underemphasized in dental curriculum, and that until they are fostered, visions of competency and the joining of theory and practice will be difficult to achieve. Highlights strategies to foster such knowledge within competency-based curricula: problem-based learning and…

Competency-based training tends to a control model of curriculum organization. However, although practitioners may use formal processes (standards, modules), they maintain their own professional knowledge and embedded skill. The question remains whose knowledge, standards, and skills are empowered in a competency-based approach to vocational…

In the 1990s, the meaning of lifelong learning has shifted to focus on economic rather than social goals. Current policy issues in the development of a training/learning culture include competency-based training, demand-side responsibility for training, increased emphasis on learning in the workplace and the role of workplace trainers. (Contains…

Misconceptions about competency-based assessment in National Vocational Qualifications include the following: they focus only on workplace performance; they are appropriate only at vocational-technical, not higher/professional levels; they are concerned only with practical skills; and they do not encourage further development. Case study of…