Updated 4/19/23
Stumped about proficiency levels or competency models? Don't worry - we have some inspiration for you!
When would I use a proficiency / competency model?
If you are in the business of assessing abilities - in other words, making a judgment about what someone knows or can do - you should have a framework to understand how far along someone is in their knowledge or skill development.
What's the difference between proficiency and competency?
Most people use these terms interchangeably - and that's just fine. If we want to get really nerdy, proficiency often describes levels of mastery required for a specific skill or task, while competency often describes the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for successful job performance in a specific context.
Which model should I use?
If your program isn't aligned to an industry or global standard already, we have a few possible starting points for you:
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Bloom's Revised Taxonomy. Bloom's breaks down proficiency into 6 major categories. From lowest proficiency to highest, those levels are Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create. Here's a great explainer from Vanderbilt University. Notice the sample outcome words they provide in the "Revised Taxonomy" section - if you're aligned to Bloom's, you use those words right in your badge description when you write about earner outcomes. Here's an example of a Penn State program aligned to Bloom's (disclaimer: not a Credly client, but we like how they visualized their program alignment with infographics!). This model is popular in academia.
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Dreyfus & Dreyfus' model of skill acquisition. Dreyfus maps learning progression into five stages: Novice, Advanced Beginner, Competence, Proficiency, and Expertise. We like this explainer from MindTools. An example of a program that leverages Dreyfus is Deakin University. View their Credly org page here and notice that they use the Standards field on each badge template to link to a webpage overviewing their competency levels. They also published a stellar presentation on their taxonomy here. This model is more popular in enterprise learning & development.
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Gottipati & Shankararaman's competency cube. This innovative model maps Bloom's outcomes language to Dreyfus' skill development language, including layers that clarify what criteria might be required across the model. It is created specifically to be useful in a digital credentialing context, and we highly recommend reading this short and sweet article about the model by Sherri Braxton of Bowdoin College! The figure in the article shows an example of mapping a taxonomy of credential types (Participation, Knowledge, Skill, Ability) to competency levels. (More on taxonomies in this knowledge base article.)
- Lumina's Connecting Credentials framework. Another model created specifically for the credentialing context, this framework uses competencies "as common reference points to help understand and compare the levels and types of knowledge and skills" that underlie diverse credentials. Find the framework here. The introduction in the document also includes useful background about the importance of the framework that is worth a read if you are considering the topic of competency models in general!
How do I reference my proficiency / competency model in my program's badges?
Indicate alignment using the Standards field, linking to a page where you describe how your program aligns to the model or to your favorite public article describing the model.
Use model-aligned language in the badge description when talking about earner outcomes.