How to Develop Effective Leadership in Competency-Based Learning

Now that we covered what effective leadership means in competency-based learning, what are the next steps? Read on for some considerations a leader can consider for a competency-based learning program.

What should a leader consider in competency-based learning?

A question that may arise during evaluating an existing training program, or when developing a new program can be: how will I know my learners are actually learning? How do we know they’ll be applying what they’ve learned to their role? One way to help determine this is through learning process consulting.

Identifying how people will learn is critical to the success of any learning system. Mapping how learners will access curriculum, how they will engage, how they will be evaluated, and determining what kind of evaluation and records are required will ensure the best use of resources.

Next, what is the best way to determine what the learner needs to know and be able to do in order to be successful? On option to map this is through skill profiling. A skill profile is a visual representation of “what an individual needs to know” and “what the individual needs to be able to do” to be successful in an organization. A profile is an inventory of the skills required to carry out the work of the organization, facility, department, or area.

Skill profiling helps to achieve:

• Group consensus regarding learning needs
• Buy-in and commitment to the development process
• Structure for the development of an enterprise learning process
• Employer and employee communication about what should be done to improve the workplace
• A framework for the identification of existing and required learning resources

Determine the type of competency-based learning that will benefit your organization

For a competency-based learning program, there are four different levels of learner interactivity. As a leader, through communicating with your many stakeholders and conducting your analyses, it will be important to determine how interactive you want your learning to be. Do you want your learning to be instructor-led, or do you want a fully interactive experience where the learner is at the center of the program? We detail these different levels of interaction below.

Passive Interactivity

If you and your organization are looking for instructor-led training sessions, a learning program with passive interactivity may be an option. You can look to enrich these types of training sessions with the creation and/or renovation of:

• PowerPoint Presentations
• Instructor and Participant Guides
• User Manuals
• Job Aids and Evaluations

Basic Interactivity

If your organization is interested in a blended model of in-person and remote learning, then a learning program with basic interactivity may work for you. This type of interactivity can comprise:

• Clickable menus
• Drag and drop interactions
• Templated storyboards

Moderate Interactivity

For a learning program to be delivered online, you and your organization can deliver meaningful, innovative, engaging content in a number of ways. Some examples of a learning program with moderate interactivity includes:

• Animated video
• Customized audio
• Complex drag and drop interactions
• Case studies

Full Interactivity

If you and your organization want an online learning program that is highly interactive and engages the learner throughout, consider a game-based courseware that requires full interaction. This includes:

• Interactive games
• Simulated job performance exercises
• Customized audio or video
• Avatars
• Stories
• Scenarios

As you have likely realized, there is a fair bit to consider for leaders to consider when it comes to your competency-based learning program. You have to make sure that you’re providing the learners exactly with what they need in order to succeed at your organization, and that the way the material is presented to learners matches with your vision. On top of that, you might also be wondering which learning management system to use. Effective leadership is critical in determining these factors.

This is the second article in a three-part series covering Chapter 8 of our Skilling Up textbook. To access other articles in this series, please navigate below.

Article 1 - What Does Leadership Mean in Competency-Based Learning?

Article 3 - Key Steps to Implementing Competency-Based Learning

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