Competency-based learning has been a successful pedagogical approach for centuries, but only recently has it gained traction within computing. Competencies, as defined in Computing Curricula 2020, comprise knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions. Building on recent developments in competency and computing education, this working group examined relevant pedagogical theories, investigates various skill frameworks, reviewed competencies and standard practices in other professional disciplines such as medicine and law. It also investigated the integrative nature of content knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions in defining professional competencies in computing education. In addition, the group explored appropriate pedagogies and competency assessment approaches. It also developed guidelines for evaluating student achievement against relevant professional competency frameworks and explores partnering with employers to offer students genuine professional experience. Finally, possible challenges and opportunities in moving from traditional knowledge-based to competency-based education were also examined. This report makes recommendations to inspire educators of future computing professionals and smooth students’ transition from academia to employment.
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Toward Practical Computing Competencies
Competency-based learning has been a successful pedagogical approach
for centuries, but only recently has it gained traction within
computing education. Building on recent developments in the field,
this working group will explore competency-based learning from
practical considerations and show how it benefits computing. In
particular, the group will identify existing computing competencies
and provide a pathway to generate competencies usable in the field.
The working group will also investigate appropriate assessment
approaches, provide guidelines for evaluating student attainment,
and show how accrediting agencies can use these techniques to
assess the level of competence reflected in their standards and criteria.
Recommendations from the working group report are intended
to help practical computing education writ large.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1922169
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10259951
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 26th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2 (ITiCSE 2021)
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 603 to 604
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1145/3456565.3461442
