{"@id":"https://credentialengineregistry.org/resources/ce-f37fb92e-20e1-4d25-97ac-fdee8f933800","@type":"ceterms:MicroCredential","@context":"https://credreg.net/ctdl/schema/context/json","ceterms:ctid":"ce-f37fb92e-20e1-4d25-97ac-fdee8f933800","ceterms:name":{"en-US":"Designing Competency-Based Professional Learning Experiences"},"ceterms:image":"https://d2umcf2gmasgod.cloudfront.net/671291be13923d950566d861.png","ceterms:keyword":{"en-US":["Supporting Competency-Based Learning"]},"ceterms:ownedBy":["https://credentialengineregistry.org/resources/ce-34e96e45-7ba7-4870-b3cf-055d9621d354"],"ceterms:requires":[{"@type":"ceterms:ConditionProfile","ceterms:name":{"en-US":"Open Badges Criteria"},"ceterms:description":{"en-US":"Key Method\n\nThe leader designs a competency-based professional learning experience or a series of learning experiences based on the educator's or the school community's needs that leverage micro-credentials to address those needs.\n\nMethod Components\n\nOverview\n\nAs schools and districts have broadened and deepened personalized, student-centered learning, professional learning has often remained a prescribed, sit-and-get model. To move towards personalized professional learning, schools and districts should develop systems to make professional learning flexible, on demand, job-embedded, and aligned to research that leads to a positive impact on student success.\n\nSkills of a Leader\n\nTo design competency-based professional learning opportunities, leaders will demonstrate the following skills:\n\nUnderstanding School Community Needs\nThe leader:\n\nUnderstands the vision of different school community stakeholders \nUnderstands the learning goals of the school community, and the learning resources available \nCollects and accesses relevant data about school community needs \nExample: Leader works collaboratively with administration and teachers to gather relevant school data, and conducts interviews with stakeholders to learn about their vision and learning goals.\n\n \n\nDeveloping and Demonstrating Care and Empathy\nThe leader:\n\nSeeks to understand challenges and strengths of educators to gain empathy for their challenges \nFacilitates connection and collaboration between colleagues with related or compatible strengths or challenges \nResponds to barriers or challenges with an asset-based framing\nSupports colleagues by being flexible and available with their time, and models it for others \nFosters a community of collective action \nExample: Leader conducts an empathy interview with educator colleagues to deepen understanding of the challenges facing them in their work.\n\n \n\nUser-Centered Design\nThe leader:\n\nLeverages adult learning research and best practices \nIs open and aware of their own bias or preconceptions, and is comfortable discussing bias with colleagues \nMakes data-driven decisions when developing and designing competency-based professional learning experiences \nUses a strengths-based approach to support and facilitate learning \nEmpowers colleagues to drive their own professional learning \nDesigns opportunities for connection, collaboration, and reflection \nUses protocols and systems to design user-friendly experiences \nExample: Leader is working in their Learning Management System (LMS) with two educators who have the same technology challenge but in different subject areas. Leader identifies opportunities for collaboration and facilitates an online problem-solving discussion, using research-backed protocols.\n\n \n\nClear Communication\nThe leader:\n\nHas an open communication style, and is able to share feedback that is clear and concise, respectful, actionable, and supported by data \nSeeks to understand colleagues' challenges and goals without judgement \nKnows school environment context in order to assist in determining clear solutions from underlying challenges \nProvides support in a respectful and engaging way while respecting colleagues' expertise - and demonstrating their own. \nExample: Educator shares frustration with a new tool applicability; leader understands that the educator may need different framing of learning goals, student impact research, or less technical language to understand its application.\n\nDeveloping and Understanding a Needs Assessment\n\nDeveloping a needs assessment is a crucial step in forming your understanding of educator motivation and how to address your preconceptions or potential biases. If you skip this step, you will create an end product for an unknown user instead of your diverse community of educators.\n\nYou may be developing a new assessment or adapting an existing one. The assessment should be educator centered and provide clear context for why you need specific information. Ask questions to help you learn more about the educator and school community. The questions should be designed to:\n\nUnderstand challenges they face as a stakeholder in the school community \nGain a clear understanding of the educator's needs and context of challenge \nDevelop empathy for the educator and the challenge they're facing; a supplementary empathy interview or additional protocol should happen outside of a needs assessment survey \nLearn about the educator's practice, or how they learn best \nFind out what the educator already knows about the challenge. Are there assumptions that need to be redirected? What does the educator want to learn? You may use the Know-Want-Learn (KWL) protocols if it matches the situation. \nSeek out time for further professional development; are there barriers that need administrative support \n\n \n\nThe needs assessment is a starting point to gain understanding of the educator's goals and challenges, and will lend insight into possible pathways for future professional learning. Once the needs assessment is complete, the leader can begin the process of analyzing, understanding, and interpreting the information collected.\n\nIs the data quantitative or qualitative  \nHow will the data be filtered or organized  \nWhat is the data telling you about your colleague's classrooms and the learners  \nAre there similar challenges facing colleagues? \nWhat historical data are available to compare new data against \n\n \n\nDesigning Competency-Based Learning Experiences\n\nOnce the needs assessment and empathy interview or protocol is analyzed, personalized learning goals can be developed and a learning experience (or series of experiences) can be developed. Your competency-based professional learning experience(s) should include the following elements:\n\nResources such as videos, blog posts, and articles that address the educator's learning needs \nSynchronous and asynchronous opportunities for learning and collaboration \nSpaces for communication and collaboration between peers: self-directed learning, online learning modules, opportunities for observing another educator in their practice, study sessions, mentorship opportunities, externships, EdCamps, conferences, and more - professional learning can take many forms. \nSupport structures: where the educator can obtain further support in their school or district. \nMicro-credential(s) that align with the skill and professional learning goals of the educator\n\n \n\nCommunicating with Colleagues\n\nOnce you've designed the experience(s), it is important that you clearly and effectively communicate with colleagues about how they can engage with it. Communicating about the competency-based professional learning experience is an opportunity to build strong community relationships, share opportunities for support, and tap into strong networks. There may already be avenues available in your school or district to communicate about the competency-based professional learning experience, such as a learning management system (LMS) or school newsletter. Using existing communication channels and systems supports reaching a wide audience. Some information to include:\n\nLinks to where to access the learning experience(s) \nDescription of the experience, including compelling reasons for engaging with it \nInformation on any deadlines or incentives from the state or district that should be addressed\n\n \n\nCollecting Feedback and Iterating on the Learning Experience\n\nOnce educators begin the learning experience(s), it is important to have systems in place to collect feedback to improve the experience. This can take the form of a survey, exit ticket, structured written response, assessment checkpoints throughout the experience - or even a conversation. This feedback process is important. According to Killion (2015), it:\n\nincreases the leader's awareness about their practice \ngenerates new ideas or learning that leads to change in practice \nhelps in understanding impact on others and their context\n\n \n\nBy increasing awareness through gathered feedback, the leader may assess the effectiveness of the experience, consider different methods, and refine into the future. Think about how to solicit anonymous feedback so educators can be comfortable in supplying honest and accurate feedback in an unbiased way. Whichever method you choose to receive feedback should be structured in a way to gather data that will help you iterate on and improve the learning experience.\n\nAfter gathering and reviewing feedback, it will most likely be clear how to integrate feedback into the next version of the learning experience. Perhaps the asynchronous nature of the experience surprisingly didn't fit with the needs of the educator, a last-minute schedule change hindered a live webinar, or the educator shared a new learning goal in the midst of the learning experience. In whatever feedback you receive, determine if the method of learning needs to change (like a curated list of readings) or if the subject matter needs to be refined."},"ceterms:subjectWebpage":"https://digitalpromise.box.com/s/ix0pf8x2bh7wbaht3kw7vytubwatnbnv"}],"ceterms:inCatalog":"https://microcredentials.digitalpromise.org/explore/designing-competency-based-professional-learning-e","ceterms:offeredBy":["https://credentialengineregistry.org/resources/ce-34e96e45-7ba7-4870-b3cf-055d9621d354"],"ceterms:inLanguage":["en"],"ceterms:description":{"en-US":"Leader designs competency-based professional learning experiences based on the educator's and the school community's needs."},"ceterms:credentialId":"https://microcredentials.digitalpromise.org/explore/designing-competency-based-professional-learning-e","ceterms:subjectWebpage":"https://microcredentials.digitalpromise.org/explore/designing-competency-based-professional-learning-e","ceterms:copyrightHolder":["https://credentialengineregistry.org/resources/ce-34e96e45-7ba7-4870-b3cf-055d9621d354"],"ceterms:availableOnlineAt":["https://microcredentials.digitalpromise.org/explore/designing-competency-based-professional-learning-e"],"ceterms:availabilityListing":["https://microcredentials.digitalpromise.org/explore/designing-competency-based-professional-learning-e"],"ceterms:credentialStatusType":{"@type":"ceterms:CredentialAlignmentObject","ceterms:framework":"https://credreg.net/ctdl/terms/CredentialStatus","ceterms:targetNode":"credentialStat:Active","ceterms:frameworkName":{"en-US":"Credential Status"},"ceterms:targetNodeName":{"en-US":"Active"},"ceterms:targetNodeDescription":{"en-US":"Awards of the credential are ongoing."}},"ceterms:usesVerificationService":["https://credentialengineregistry.org/resources/ce-1472586c-b08c-4f22-9013-5b4d9a58d277"]}