Bases of Competence: A Framework for Facilitating Reflective Learner-Centered Educational Environments

Abstract

As the business world becomes more complex, the role of professional higher education in the development of “reflective practitioners” becomes more cogent. In this article, the authors argue for the Bases of Competence model, which articulates base competencies required of today’s higher education professional graduates, as a tool in learner-centered, self-reflective pedagogy and self-assessment. The purpose of this article is to describe the Bases of Competence model and to demonstrate its use in two learner-centered, self-reflective course-level initiatives.

Holistic competence approach in tourism higher education: an exploratory study in Spain

“…Following Winterton (2009), this approach offers a unifying framework for defining the competences necessary for particular occupations and thus provides a starting point for establishing a typology of competences for European credit transfer system for vocational education and training, like that established for higher education under the Bologna Declaration. In this sense, as Berdrow and Evers (2011) pointed out, the bases of competence model provides a common language for educators and employers and a framework for assessing the supply and demand gap between graduate abilities and employment needs.…”

“…The conceptual competences directly influence the attitudinal competences . The procedural competences directly influence the attitudinal competences Berdrow and Evers (2011) recognise the hierarchical nature of the competences. For this, from the teaching perspective and, especially, since they are undergraduate degrees,…”

Developing career management competencies among undergraduates and the role of work-integrated learning

“…Interviews, self-assessment and competency assessment -including action planning -were popular, and there was extensive use of portfolios. The use of portfolios for self-reflection is strongly supported and is considered critical for self-awareness and the effective articulation of experience and capabilities to potential employers, particularly in non-technical skills (Berdrow and Evers 2011). Recent discussions of alternative approaches focus on the use of library services (Davey and Tucker 2011) case studies and lectures (Greenbank 2011) and embedded units or modules (see Evans 2008).…”

“…For undergraduates, the benefits of proficiency in career management enhances self-efficacy (Raelin et al 2011), encouraging individuals to focus on the expectations of their chosen profession and the identification of employment pathways early in their career (Watts 2006). Such capabilities also promote a lifelong approach to developing and maintaining employability among graduates (see Berdrow and Evers 2011), sometimes leading to enhanced graduate employment outcomes (Purcell et al 2013). …”

Understanding management students' reflective practice through blogging

“…Reflection, defined by Moon (1999) as "a mental process purpose and/or outcome in which manipulation of meaning is applied to relatively complicated or unstructured ideas in learning or to problems for which there is no obvious solution" (p.155), is often suggested as an important instructional strategy in professional higher education (Berdrow & Evers, 2011;Kwan & Leung, 1996;Schön, 1987;Sluijsmans, Dochy, & Moerkerke, 1998). Hall and Davison (2007) suggest that learners often approach the subject matter they cover during professional development courses with naïve sets of ideas, assumptions, and beliefs.…”