Competency-Determined Curriculum as an Instructional Technology

Competency-based approaches to curriculum design are beginning to have an impact on the health sciences where competence is requisite and mandatory to professional practice and which is purportedly assured through licensure. However, “competent” practice has never really been described in terms that are capable of valid assessment. Competency-based approaches that have been reported in the general literature view the approach as primary curriculum development. Assessment of student competence is seldom given significant consideration. The approach presented in this paper views student assessment as the locus of competency-based approaches from which curriculum development will follow.