In this Blog I would like to introduce to you the ‘Professional Competence model’ from Graham Cheetham and Geoff Chivens. It was introduced in 1996 and discussed and tested with many professionals and educational specialists.
Personally I am convinced that it not only offers an excellent thinking model that really helps in designing educational programmes, but that it also helps teachers to see that more is needed than 'knowledge/cognitive' competences only. In addition the "Occupational Competence Mix"-diagram could very well function as a graphical representation of the 'Dublin descriptors' which are the basis of accreditation of current MSc and BSc programmes.
A good introduction to the model can be found in the book chapter "Professional competence: harmonizing reflective practitioner and competence-based approaches" by Graham Cheetham and Geoff Chivers
http://www-new1.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/york/documents/resources/heca/heca_cp18.pdf
Cheetham and Chivers also published a book "Professions Competence and Informal Learning"
http://books.google.nl/books?id=xwyqLR-mG4cC&printsec=frontcover&dq=cheetham+chivers&source=bl&ots=XCIPkwFYbh&sig=o5s77iUHOQF_ZhhsIBMStAOjC_0&hl=nl&ei=XgEKTZP-EoWy4Ab1wbC-AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
A VISIO diagram that can be used to make a the Occupational Competence mix – diagram of a particular type of professional can be downloaded from
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13601288/Occupational_Competence_Mix.vsd
A model of professional competenceGraham Cheetham - Department for Education and Employment, Sheffield, UK
Geoff Chivers - University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
The text below is mostly cited from two articles of Cheetham and Chivers:
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ571406&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ571406
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=836887&show=abstract
To show that this model could very well function as a graphical representation (especially the Occupational Competence mix – diagram shown at the end of this article ) of the 'Dublin descriptors' I added the categories from the ‘Dublin Descriptors’ (the basis of accreditation of current MSc and BSc programmes) to the appropriate components of the model.
The authors described a provisional model of professional competence which attempted to harmonise the “reflective practitioner” paradigm (developed by Schön and now espoused by many professional education programmes) with competence-based approaches. The latter included both the “functional outcomes” approach and the “personal competence” approach.
The model describes a model of professional competence which attempts to bring together a number of apparently disparate views of competence, including the “outcomes” approach, a key feature of UK National Vocational Qualifications, and the “reflective practitioner” approach, suggested by Schön and now well recognized within professional education programmes.
Core Components
At the core of the model are four key components of professional competence. These are:
• knowledge/cognitive competence;
• personal or behavioural competence;
• functional competence;
• values/ethical competence.
1-Knowledge / Cognitive Compertencies…the possession of appropriate work-related knowledge and the ability to put this to effective use.
The linkage of cognitive competence with knowledge emphasizes the importance of the latter part of the definition, i.e. the ability to apply knowledge in a variety of ways. The knowledge/cognitive competence component is seen as consisting of four constituents. These are:
• tacit/practical (this is knowledge linked to, and embedded within, specific functional or personal competencies – i.e. what Schon refers to as “knowing-in-action”);
• technical/theoretical (this relates to the underlying knowledge base of the professions, including principles, theories, etc. but also includes their application, transfer, synthesis, extrapolation, etc.);
• procedural (this consists of the how, what, when, etc. of the more routine tasks within professional activity);
• contextual (this is general background knowledge which is specific to an organization, industry, sector, etc.).
Dublin descriptors appicable here:
1 - Knowledge and understanding: “Have demonstrated knowledge and understanding that is founded upon and extends and/or enhances that typically associated with Bachelor’s level, and that provides a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and/or applying ideas, often within a research context.”
2 - Applying knowledge and understanding: “Can apply their knowledge and understanding and problem solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study; have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity.”
2-Personal Competencies…the ability to adopt appropriate, observable behaviours in work-related situations.
In contrast to functional approaches, personal (or behavioural) competence models concentrate on the personal characteristics and behavioural; skills that an individual is required to bring to a job. These might include attributes such as self-confidence, stamina (the capability of sustaining prolonged stressful effort (like endurance)) , attention to detail, output orientation and thinking on one’s feet, control of emotions, interpersonal listening, task centeredness, presentation, collegiality. The personal competence component has two constituents:
• social/vocational (these are behaviours which relate to the performance of the main body of professional tasks – self-confidence, task-centredness, stamina, etc.);
• intraprofessional (these are behaviours which relate mainly to interaction with other professionals – collegiality, adherence to professional norms, etc.).
Dublin descriptors appicable here:
2 - Applying knowledge and understanding: “Can apply their knowledge and understanding and problem solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study; have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity.”
3 - Making judgements: “Can formulate judgements with incomplete or limited information, that rather include reflection on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgements.”
4 – Communication: “Can communicate their conclusions, and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously.”
3-Functional Competencies
…the ability to perform a range of work-based tasks effectively to produce specific outcomes.
This includes, and indeed requires, the possession of discrete skills but the emphasis is on putting these to use to achieve specific outcomes.
Functional Competence approaches may be seen as neo-Taylorist, i.e. having their roots within the taylorist ‘Scientific Management’ tradition. Amongst other things, this asserts that all occupations are susceptible to systematic analysis and can be better understood by breaking down job functions into a series of constituent elements. Functional competence approaches focus on tasks or functions that need to be performed within the job role, rather than the personal attributes of the individual who occupies the job.
The functional competence component has been broken down into four groups of constituent competencies. These are:
• occupation-specific (this consists of the numerous tasks which relate to a particular profession). Modelling ? , Stereo photography practicum, Laboratory work etc.;
• organizational/process (this contains tasks of a generic nature (e.g. planning, delegating, evaluating, etc.). Planning, Project planning? Delegating, evaluating, Report writing?;
• cerebral (these are skills which involve primarily mental activity – literacy, numeracy, etc.). Cerebral = Describes an angle of thinking that utilizes the intellect rather than intuition or instinct.) Computer skills, Evaluating;
• psychomotor (these are skills of a more physical nature – manual dexterity, keyboard, etc.).
Dublin descriptors appicable here:
2 - Applying knowledge and understanding: “Can apply their knowledge and understanding and problem solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study; have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity.”
4 – Communication: “Can communicate their conclusions, and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously.”
4-Values / ethical Competencies
…the possession of appropriate personal and professional values and the ability to make sound judgments based upon these in work-related situations.
The linkage of ethical competence with values emphasizes the point that values, like knowledge, are of little use unless they are effectively applied. Thus, ethical competence refers to the effective and appropriate application of values in professional settings.
The different types of values used by professionals are grouped under two constituent headings:
• personal (e.g. adherence to personal moral/ religious codes, etc.);
• professional (e.g. adherence to professional codes, client-centredness, environmental sensitivity, etc.) .
Dublin descriptors appicable here:
3 - Making judgements: “Can formulate judgements with incomplete or limited information, that rather include reflection on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgements.”
Meta-Competencies
Overarching the four core components are a number of “meta-competencies”. These include communication, self-development, creativity, analysis and problem solving (see below). The list is not necessarily exhaustive. As discussed earlier, meta-competencies either assist in developing other competencies (e.g. self-development) or are capable of enhancing or mediating competence in any or all of the component categories (e.g. creativity). The same meta-competencies seem likely to be applicable to all or most professions since, by their nature, they are fundamental and transferable between different situations and tasks.
1-Self-Development
(‘Dublin descriptors’) – 4 – Learning skills: “Have the learning skills to allow them to continue to study in manner that may be largely self-directed or autonomous.”
2-Communication
(‘Dublin descriptors’) – 4 – Communication: “Can communicate their conclusions, and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously.”
3-Analysis
(‘Dublin descriptors’) – 2 - Applying knowledge and understanding: “Can apply their knowledge and understanding and problem solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study; have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity.”
4-Problem Solving
(‘Dublin descriptors’) – 2 - Applying knowledge and understanding: “Can apply their knowledge and understanding and problem solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study; have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity.”
5-Creativity
(‘Dublin descriptors’) – 2 - Applying knowledge and understanding: “Can apply their knowledge and understanding and problem solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study; have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity.”
Occupational Competence mix – diagram
The relative importance of each of the core components to different occupations is indicated by the size of the segments. The model also incorporates meta competencies (in the outer circle).
Below you will find an editable Occupational Competence mix – diagram where the relative importance of each of the core components can be adjusted for the profession in question.
A VISIO diagram that can be used to make a the Occupational Competence mix – diagram of a particular type of professional can be downloaded from http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13601288/Occupational_Competence_Mix.vsd
Appendix 1. Description of bachelor’s and master’s levels (‘Dublin descriptors’)
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