Competence-based approach, modularity and evaluation

Competence-based approach

The curriculum of Jamk University of Applied Sciences is competence-based. This means that the student is seen as an active actor who is committed to the planning, implementation and evaluation of their studies. In competence-based degree education, students build their personal and individual study paths with the help of their teachers. The key to the studies is acquiring and demonstrating competence, not completing studies.

The student’s competence and showcasing and verifying it play an important role in the competence-based approach. The realisation of the competence-based approach is always based on a curriculum that defines the intended learning outcomes; the knowledge, skills, ethical abilities and attitudes that students are expected to develop and achieve during their studies (Annala 2011; Mäkinen & Annala 2010).

The intended learning outcomes give an idea of what the student is expected to learn and how this should be demonstrated. The competence-based approach focuses on describing the student’s competence instead of the content to be studied, making the perspective more student-centred. In other words, the competence-based approach describes the student’s knowledge, skills, understanding and abilities as a result of learning. This is clearly and concretely expressed as the student’s actions and activities. The intended learning outcomes must be accessible to students, and their realisation must be able to be acquired, demonstrated and evaluated in study-related situations and operating environments.

For example, courses’ intended learning outcomes are more accurate and transparent for the student than the objectives of the degree or a mere description of the content. The intended learning outcomes may be formatted as follows:

• After completing the studies
  • the student identifies…
  • the student is able to describe…

Studies at Jamk University of Applied Sciences strengthen student participation, which is one of the most important principles of the competence-based approach (Happo & Peurunka 2016). As stated above, the student is an active actor in competence-based education; participation means that the student is committed to the planning, implementation and evaluation of their studies. Participation also emphasises mutual learning, communality and commitment of the participants. (Harju 2013.)

Page 2: Modularity
Page 3: Evaluation

Siru Lehto 13.1.2023