Competence-Based Assessment in Professional Education Validation

Overview & Synopsis

This paper investigates the appropriateness of competence-based assessment in professional education validation, considering architectural education in Asia as a case study. Competence-based assessment originated in teacher training and vocational training settings in the USA and the UK. Competence-based assessment has been increasingly adopted by many professional education validation systems, for example the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), the Royal Institute of British Architects / Architects Registration Boards (RIBA / ARB). Despite its growing application and longstanding continuity in professional education, its appropriateness for this purpose has never been investigated. In conclusion, this study finds that the competence-based model followed by the CAA validation system has been narrowly defined and it requires modifications when it is adopted for professional education validations. Competence-based assessment in professional education settings should focus on learning and instruction not limited to occupational performance, and development of soft competencies along with performance in hard competencies. Assessment criteria should be based on appropriate benchmarking and not on minimum standards as currently practised. (Contains 3 tables.)