General competencies

Evaluation of the development of general competencies in undergraduate courses in nutrition

Edilceia Domingues do Amaral Ravazzani, Graciele de Matia, Izabel Meister Coelho, Roberto Zonato Esteves

 

Abstract

The National Curricular Guidelines direct education to changes in the teaching-learning process, seek the appreciation of training when they establish in their structure, general and specific competences and emphasize the importance of a systematic and permanent follow-up evaluation aimed at improving graduation. The present research had the objective of evaluating the development of the general competencies of undergraduate students of nutrition. An analytical study with a quantitative approach and cross-sectional method using a questionnaire, elaborated and validated by Matia and Coelho (2015) composed of 44 questions, which was applied to students and teachers, from four educational institutions, through the Google forms Software. For the descriptive analysis of the data, we used measures of central tendency and measures of variability and the tests Mann Whitney, Tukey and Test-t, with level of significance of p <0.05, realized through Free software R version 3.1.1. A total of 210 answers were obtained, of which 110 were students of both sexes and 100 of teachers. The mean age of students was 24.66 ± 7.41 years. The sample consisted of a predominance of female participants (87.3%). In the view of the teachers, the evaluated students seem to be developing more competences and abilities of Management in health and Education in health and in the vision of the students there was small emphasis only in Education in health. It is concluded that the students of the courses of nutrition involved in the research, are not developing the general skills necessary for the training, pointed out in the guidelines, in its entirety.

Keywords

Professional competence; Competency-based education; Nutrition; Assessment.

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17267/2594-7907ijhe.v2i1.1863

Intercultural competence

Develop Intercultural Competence to Foster International Student Success

Flower Darby

“Increased domestic and global access to higher education,” writes Amy Lee in her 2017 book Teaching Interculturally: A Framework for Integrating Disciplinary Knowledge and Intercultural Development, has resulted in having “multiple diversities in any given classroom or academic program.”

Lee and her colleagues argue for developing an intercultural pedagogy to help us teach, respect, and value the contributions of all our international and domestic students: “we need intentionally developed pedagogical practices to engage diverse students effectively and respectfully within our classrooms.” This got me thinking: how prepared are faculty to help international students succeed?

Faculty who teach in disciplines such as ESL, global business management, or intercultural communication are likely well able to work effectively with international students. But what about the rest of us? How equipped are we?

If, like me, you have no prior experience living and working abroad, and no targeted intercultural professional development, you may feel ill prepared to teach international students. Yet I suspect that you, like me, want to help all of your students succeed, no matter their country of origin, differing communication styles, or behaviors and actions that may be unfamiliar.

For example, faculty at my university have struggled with a perception that some international students seem to have a different understanding of academic integrity than they do. How do we help these students learn and succeed, without a shared understanding of this important aspect of teaching and learning?

I’ve been on a journey to increase my intercultural awareness, and more, my intercultural competence. Without building this ability in ourselves, it’s unlikely that we will be able to help our students develop their intercultural competence. Lee and her colleagues rightly argue that we have an obligation to do so: “Education in the twenty-first century must prepare students for a world that is increasingly interconnected, interdependent and diverse.” So how can we develop ourselves in order to develop our students?

Increasing our Intercultural Competence

Like all meaningful journeys, my quest for faculty professional development in intercultural competence has been far from linear. By meandering through various Google Searches I’ve discovered some really great places to start. More importantly, I’ve found that some institutions are offering extended opportunities such as learning communities and workshop series. Maybe the resources and suggestions below will help you begin or augment such efforts on your campus.

The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI): This tool is used by over 1300 organizations including colleges and universities, government agencies, non-profit organizations and corporations. Their website provides validation research as well as helpful ways to think about our individual phase of intercultural development.

The Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC ^TM) model identifies a spectrum that moves from a ‘Monocultural Mindset’ at one end to an ‘Intercultural Mindset’ at the other, characterized by an Adaptation orientation: “The capability of deeply shifting cultural perspective and bridging behavior across cultural differences is most fully achieved when one maintains an Adaptation perspective.” Although the IDI requires a financial investment, it is a robust methodology for measurably increasing faculty intercultural competence and therefore well worth considering.

Building an Interculturally Competent Faculty: Researcher and Internationalization scholar Darla Deardorff provides several guidelines and discussion questions to help faculty grow in intercultural competence. She identifies characteristics of interculturally competent faculty, including an understanding of the complexity of intercultural competence, course design that includes an outcome around intercultural development, and an ability to teach a diverse range of students.

Questions for self-reflection invite an examination of our:

• individual willingness to work with those from other “cultural, socioeconomic and religious backgrounds,”
• awareness of our own cultural values and biases, and
• ability to adapt our behavior and communication to “accommodate students from different culturally conditioned communication styles.”

This article, though brief, offers a dense set of ideas and thought-provoking questions to foster growth in intercultural teaching.

Engaging Diversity in Undergraduate Classrooms: A Pedagogy for Developing Intercultural Competence: This earlier resource from Amy Lee and her colleagues provides an excellent foundation for the 2017 Teaching interculturally book. In this 2012 report, Lee, Robert Poch, Marta Shaw and Rhiannon D. Williams make a compelling case for the importance of developing our students’ intercultural competence as a core objective of twenty-first century classes. Among other valuable and practical ideas, the report offers several suggestions for implementing intercultural pedagogical practices. Here’s a condensed list from pages 84-89; for more explanation of each, see the report.

• Acknowledge anxiety and offer support
• Be mindful of different thresholds of anxiety
• Affirm students’ self-identity
• Model tolerance for ambiguity

Lee and her colleagues point out that the “mere presence of diversity in the classroom does not guarantee constructive interaction or skill development” (P. 89). Intentional pedagogy and course design is required to help students develop their intercultural competence.

This brings me full circle. Preparing our students to be effective and engaged citizens in today’s interconnected global society is of vital importance. One way of doing so is to foster international student success and effective interactions in our multinational classrooms. In order to do that, we ourselves need to be growing in intercultural competence. Might I suggest we bring the same intentionality to our own development as we do to our learning design?

References:

Deardorff, D. (Spring 2012). Building an interculturally competent faculty. IIE Networker, 39.

Lee, A., Poch, R. K., Shaw, M., Williams, R. D. (2012). Engaging diversity in undergraduate classrooms: A pedagogy for developing intercultural competence. Association for the Study of Higher Education, 38(2).

Lee, A., Poch, R. K., O’Brien, M. K., & Solheim, C. (2017). Teaching interculturally: A framework for integrating disciplinary knowledge and intercultural development. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

Skills development

Teaching Students Specific Skills

By Maryellen Weimer, PhD

Preparing for a keynote at a polytechnic institute got me thinking about those readers who teach students how to do something, not something abstract like thinking, but how to execute some observable skill, such as starting an IV, writing code, or wiring a circuit. Teaching skills, much like teaching in general, shares certain similarities that are relevant across a variety of degree programs. It’s good to review these and use them to take stock of how we can better help students learn specific skills.

A novice learns from an expert – Often, the novice is tremendously impressed by the skill of the expert who accomplishes a complicated task easily and efficiently. It looks effortless, and seeing flawless execution can be very motivational. The novice aspires to do what the expert has accomplished. And because it is done so well, it’s easy for the novice to conclude that learning it won’t be all that difficult.

An expert teaches a novice – Skill instruction relies on demonstrations. And let’s be honest: there’s a bit of showmanship involved and some enjoyment derived when students are impressed by what we can do. To the expert, it feels easy, natural. He or she knows exactly what to do and when to do it. What the expert may have forgotten is how it felt when he or she was learning the skill—the clumsiness, the awkward execution, the tension, and the fear of failure. Once a skill is mastered, the time, effort, and repeated attempts fade from memory. “It’s easy! You can do it,” the expert reassures the novice.

Learning most skills isn’t easy – It’s not as easy as the expert makes it look, and it’s not as easy as the learner thinks it might be. And if the expert claims that it’s easy and the novice’s first attempts are failures or faulty executions, then the novice starts to wonder. “Why can’t I do this? It looks easy, and the expert says it’s easy, but now I can’t do it. What does that say about me? Am I stupid?”

Mistakes are an inherent part of learning new skills – Making mistakes does not automatically equate with a lack of ability, but students continue to believe that ability matters more than effort. If the skill isn’t easily acquired, they begin to rationalize that they probably can’t learn it so why keep trying. Mistakes are how we learn, but our egos seem to take a bigger hit when we fail to learn a specific, demonstrable skill. There’s no way to fudge—the novice, the expert, and everyone else see the mistakes. Novices need to understand that learning from error is more powerful and enduring than executing something flawlessly on the first attempt. The good news is that corrected failures are also more visible and, therefore, easier to celebrate. Get that needle in the vein, develop a web page, or watch that circuit light up and we see the success instantly.

Skill performance depends on practice – It looks easy because it’s been done a thousand times. Learning to do anything well requires hard work for the vast majority of learners. Look at high-performing athletes, musicians, or artists. Their lives center around practice, and even when they are excellent, the practice continues. What we’ve learned about “deliberate practice” documents that working on the less effective aspects of skill performance is what most improves performance. Novices typically underestimate the time and commitment excellent execution requires. Experts can help them correct those assumptions.

A good relationship with the expert makes learning skills easier – The awe and healthy respect novices feel for experts must be part of the relationship. There may even be hints of fear, but they’re balanced by the recognition that the expert wants the novice to master the skill and is there to help. Experts care about the novices and the skills. They have high expectations for both.

Skills develop better with honest feedback – Expert feedback must address what isn’t being executed well. The focus should be on the skill, not the person. “Here’s the problem, and here’s what needs to happen to fix the problem.” Expert feedback supports and encourages. “Keep trying.” “Be patient.” “Practice will improve your performance.” And when the skill starts looking better, there’s acknowledgment of progress. When it’s executed well, there’s praise, but nothing over the top. Mastering skills means there are always things that can be done better.

Competencies

List of Core Competencies for Educators

 

by Stacy Zeiger, Demand Media

Skilled teachers can work with nearly any student.

Being a teacher at any level requires a significant amount of knowledge and skill. Paying attention to the core competencies for educators helps to ensure that all teachers and others who work in education are prepared to make school a positive experience for students and their families.

Interacting with Students

Educators must be able to positively interact with all students. This includes difficult students, students who work below grade-level and students whose personalities just grate on a teacher. Teachers must put aside their prejudices and feelings in order to treat all students with respect, provide them with equal opportunities for learning and make them feel confident.

Create a Learning Environment

Creating a safe learning environment that is conducive to learning is essential. Educators must set high expectations for student performance and behavior. All rules must be enforced consistently and fairly. Students should not have to worry about being bullied in the classroom and should feel comfortable when speaking up.

Related Reading: Difference Between Competencies, Tasks, and Qualities

Good at Lesson Plan Design

All educators must be capable of designing lesson plans to meet student needs and cover the standards. This requires knowing how to choose and create instructional materials to accommodate students at different levels. It also requires creating a scope and sequence that provides students with enough time to master the standards.

Able to Employ Varied Teaching Strategies

Best practices and other appropriate teaching strategies allow competent educators to effectively teach the curriculum. Competent educators may lecture, but they also incorporate a variety of strategies, including non-traditional teaching strategies, to help students with multiple learning styles learn and stay engaged. Educators also attend regular professional development sessions to learn new strategies and the latest best practices.

Use Assessments Well

Educators must design or select and administer effective assessments. An assessment must accurately measure what has been taught and what students have learned. Competent educators combine informal and formal assessment techniques to monitor student performance. They also incorporate technology, portfolios and other creative methods to assess students.

Able to Identify Student Needs

Being able to identify and address student needs is a crucial component of an educator's job. This is done by partly using formal and informal assessments to help guide instruction. However, it also involves getting to know students beyond an instructional level, learning about their interests, recognizing changes in mood and making sure students are mentally and emotionally focused on learning.

Good at Communication

Communicating effectively with parents and other stakeholders in a child's education is a key component of an educator's job. A quality educator provides regular updates on a child's progress and immediately addresses any concerns that may arise. The educator also knows how to calmly discuss issues with difficult parents and how to come to decisions that have the best interests of the child in mind.

Able to Collaborate

Educators must be able to collaborate with other teachers and school staff. Teachers can learn from one another and grow into better teachers through collaboration. They can also collaborate to make the school a safe, effective learning environment for all students and to improve the overall image of the school and the instruction that takes place there.

Maintaining a Professional Appearance

Being an educator requires maintaining a professional appearance at all times. This includes dressing appropriately and acting professionally. Educators often serve as role models for students. Actions such as using foul language, gossiping about teachers and students or dressing inappropriately can cause students to lose respect for an educator.

Demonstrating a Commitment to the Profession

Educators must make a commitment to education and professional development. Subject matter knowledge fades, teaching strategies change and new research is always modifying the way students learn and teacher's teach. By furthering their education and taking part in professional development sessions, educators can continue to improve the quality of the education they provide.

Competency based Education

The Shocking Truth About Competency Based Education

by Kelly Walsh

 

The Rise of Regionally Accredited Competency Based Education in HigherEd

I’ve been a fan of the idea of Competency Based Education since I first heard of it. It seemed like such a positive development and a step ahead in the evolution of higher education here in the US and abroad. But I figured it would be quite a while (as in years, possibly quite a few years) before the country’s regional accreditors would become comfortable with assessing and approving CBE programs.

In the U.S., colleges and universities need to be regionally accredited if they wish for students to be eligible for the federal education funds commonly referred to as Title IV aid (in the form of grants and loans). Many students simply can’t afford tuition at even the least costly colleges without some help from federal aid.

So, getting back to CBE and accreditation … I knew that Western Governors University was a pioneer in CBE and that their programs had been regionally accredited, but they were well ahead of the game and seemed to be very much the exception, at least they were when I first learned about them a couple years ago. I also knew that EDUCAUSE was exploring CBE through their Breakthrough Models Incubator program last year, and this further influenced my perception that CBE had a lot of maturing to do before it was ready to take off (or so I believed).

Creating a New Higher Education Ecosystem

In his April, 2015 article, Higher Education 2.0 and the Next Few Hundred Years; or, How to Create a New Higher Education Ecosystem, Paul LeBlanc, President of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and EDUCAUSE 2015 New Business Models department author writes:

“Three important developments stand to dramatically change the way we think about degree programs and pathways:

1. The rapid adoption of competency-based education (CBE) programs, often using industry and employer authority for guiding the creation of the competencies and thus programs
2. An eventual move to suborganizational accreditation, with Title IV funds available for credits, courses, and microcredentials offered by new providers in new delivery models, part of the accelerating trend toward “unbundling” higher education
3. Increasing recognition that postsecondary education will no longer be contained to the existing and traditional degree levels but will instead be consumed at various levels of granularity—less than full degree programs and continuing throughout lives and careers”

That statement about the “rapid adoption” of CBE got me curious, especially given the other statements being made here and the awareness that regional accreditation stands between several of these ideas and any sort of widespread proliferation of them. So I started searching the web for regionally accredited competency based education degree programs. I was quite surprised by what I found.

Accredited CBE Programs are Growing at a Faster Rate Than Many Would Have Anticipated. Is it Gradually Going Mainstream?

What has shocked me a bit (in a good way) has been learning that quite a few CBE programs have been accredited already, and that the regional accreditors have defined paths for CBE program accreditation.

First, I came across this regionally-accredited CBE program from the University of Wisconsin, the “UW Flexible Option“. Then I found this article explaining how a some of Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges are rolling out regionally accredited CBE degrees (with the help of advising from WGU). In this article, we learn that in addition to UW, two other “Big Ten” Universities having introduced CBE degree programs – the University of Michigan and Purdue University.

The article, Competency-Based Degree Programs On The Rise, not only confirms my perception, it also reminds us that big online players like Capella University and SNHU’s College for America have accredited CBE programs.

While I was at it, I figured I would confirm that the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (our accreditor at CW)  has a formal process for seeking accreditation for CBE programs, and learned that they do indeed (they announced the establishment of a “Direct Assessment” Approval Process in July of last year). Given this and the approved programs noted above, it seems likely that all of the regional accreditors now have a similar process!

While trolling the Web for this information, I also came across this organization and website – the “Competency Based Education Network” (http://www.cbenetwork.org/about/). “The Competency-Based Education Network is a group of regionally accredited colleges and universities working together to address shared challenges to designing, developing, and scaling competency-based degree programs.” There are dozens of colleges and universities in this group.

Preceptoria de Residência

DESENVOLVIMENTO DE COMPETÊNCIAS PEDAGÓGICAS PARA PRÁTICA PRECEPTORIA NA RESIDÊNCIA MÉDICA – PROJETO PRECEPTORES A Associação Brasileira de Educação Medica – ABEM com o apoio da Secretaria de Gestão do Trabalho e Educação na Saúde – SGTES, tornam público este Edital com objetivo de selecionar preceptores para o curso de Desenvolvimento de Competência Pedagógica para a prática da Preceptoria - ABEM. Esta iniciativa da ABEM tem como objetivo geral, implementar um programa de desenvolvimento de competência pedagógica para a prática da preceptoria na Residência Médica e/ou Docência na Graduação, pautado pelos princípios do SUS e Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais de Graduação em Medicina. Considera as necessidades identificadas pelos Ministérios da Educação e da Saúde fortalecendo políticas públicas vigentes e as ações da ABEM para o desenvolvimento da Educação Médica. Serão oferecidas vagas para Cursos nos 12 Centros de Referência e nos 6 Centros Colaboradores integrantes DA Fase II do Projeto Preceptoria ABEM. Todos se caracterizam por serem Escolas Médicas de Instituições de Ensino Superior, públicas, associadas à ABEM e participantes de um ou mais dos atuais projetos ABEM (Avaliação Institucional, Internato, Teste do Progresso, Urgência e Emergência) além de estarem localizadas em regiões do país estratégicas para o desenvolvimento das atuais Políticas Públicas Federais. Centro de Referência é aquele que, tendo formado a 1ª turma em 2012, dá continuidade às ações locais de formação de preceptores com autonomia progressiva de gestão, mantendo o desenho curricular do Curso validado na Fase I do Projeto Preceptoria ABEM. São 12 Centros - UFAC, UFBA, UFC, UFG, UFMA, UFMT, UFMS, UFPA, UFPE, UFRN, UFRR e UFT. Centro Colaborador é aquele que participa da Fase II com a organização e oferta da 1ª Turma de um Curso validado na Fase I do Projeto Preceptoria ABEM . São 6 (seis) novos Centros – UFAM, UFES , UFSC, UFU, UNESP e UNILA.

EQUIPE DO PROJETO PRECEPTORIA ABEM

DOCUMENTOS RELACIONADOS 1. O Projeto 2. O Folder EDITAIS ABERTOS CENTROS COLABORADORES Universidade Federal do Amazonas (Edital) Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (Edital) Universidade Estadual Paulista Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (Edital) Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (Edital) Universidade Federal da Integração Latino Americana   ME INSCREVER

Desenvolvimento docente

Articulating Learning Outcomes for Faculty Development Workshops

By Jack P. Macfarlane, EdD

The use of student learning outcomes (SLOs) is commonplace at regionally accredited colleges and universities in the United States. I have been working with SLOs in one form or another for the past decade, even before they became fashionable. Many years ago, while I was an instructor in the US Navy, SLOs were called Terminal Objectives. After the service, I taught GED classes and at that time SLOs were referred to as Learning Goals.

Regardless of the latest trendy technical name, SLOs are clear statements that describe the new skills students should be able to demonstrate as a result of a learning event such as a college course (Ewell, 2001). Whether teaching online, on-ground, or via a blended environment, the importance of defining the intended outcomes, before instruction takes place, cannot be overstated because SLOs identify fundamental and measurable student skills, help outline needed curricular content, and define appropriate assessment.

This article, however, is not about the SLOs we use in our classrooms as we are all very likely already acquainted with this process; it is instead about employing similar outcomes-based tactics in the practical development, facilitation, and assessment of faculty development. As much as our students need effective instruction, faculty members need high-quality training as well. From federal compliance topics such as FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) to instructional strategies related to classroom management, active learning, and technology, to name just a few, there is no shortage of competencies faculty need to develop in order to function well in any learning environment.

Driscoll and Wood (2007) defined the key features of learner-centered, outcomes-based instruction as follows:

• Faculty clearly communicate the intended outcomes of each lesson in advance
• The stated outcomes are accessible and made public
• Students have clear expectations and understand the purpose of the instruction
• Students' progress is determined by the achievement of learning outcomes
• Assessment results are analyzed and used to improve curricula and align instruction

How far of a conceptual leap would it be to apply these same features to our own development as faculty members? As an instructor, I would certainly appreciate it if (a) the intended outcomes of my own training were communicated in advance; (b) if the outcomes of my training were accessible; (c) if I had clear expectations and understood the purpose of my training; (d) if my progress as an instructor was determined by the achievement of clear training outcomes; and especially (e) if the assessment results of my own training was analyzed and used to improve future training. Take a moment to answer the following questions as you reflect on past training sessions you attended:

• How was the training announced? Were the expected outcomes of the training communicated in advance or was it via an email that read something to the effect of, "let's get together and chat about FERPA"?
• How was the training presented? Were the training outcomes listed on PowerPoint slides? If not, were they explained verbally? A well-defined outcome for FERPA training would be for example, "By the end of this training you will be able to apply FERPA policy to determine when and when not to disclose student information." Was the training engaging, relevant, and current? Did you have any input in its content?
• How were the skills you gained during training later assessed? Through classroom observations that focused particular attention on the application of the new skills? A quiz a few weeks after the training? By reviewing students' related comments on end-of-course critiques?

If the workshop was announced vaguely, presented poorly and without enthusiasm, and the skills you supposedly gained by attending were not important enough to be assessed later, then why hold the workshop in the first place?

Not only does it make perfect andragogical sense to compose faculty training using SLO principles, but it also helps model SLO usage and the learner-centered approaches we are supposed to be implementing in our classrooms. As Barbara Daley (2003) concluded, "the hope is that as teachers experience learner-centered classrooms in their own professional development they will in turn develop more learner-centered classrooms with their students" (p. 29). Let us profit from all of the instructional research of the past 50 years by insisting that an outcomes-based instructional approach be used in our own professional development.

References 


Daley, B. J. (2003). A case for learner-centered teaching and learning. In K. P. King & P. A. Lawler (Eds.) New Perspectives on Designing and Implementing Professional Development of Teachers of Adults. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 98, 23-30. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Driscoll, A., & Wood, S. (2007). Developing outcomes-based assessment for learner-centered education: A faculty introduction. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Ewell, P. (2001). Accreditation and student learning outcomes: A proposed point of departure. Washington, DC: Council for Higher Education Accreditation. 



* Jack P. Macfarlane, EdD is the director of the Aviation Maintenance Campus of San Joaquin Valley College in Fresno, CA.