Re-Engineering Competency-Based Education through the Use of a Multimedia CD-ROM

Abstract

Organizations and their clients have limited tolerance for inept performance, particularly when it is a matter of life or death. Service organizations rely on the competencies of individual staff to produce and deliver core activities. In these organizations employees engage directly with clients in complex interactions as part of the process. High-level performance is required in challenging environments – and it does not occur by chance. Competencies are learned. In situations in which the risk to individuals and the organization is high, the education and credentialling of employees in key competencies is warranted. Educators are therefore engaged to teach competencies that are relevant and enhance an organization's performance. Competency-based education underpins effective risk management in service delivery organizations, most notably perhaps in those that deliver human services. However, the cost of competency-based staff development and evaluation programmes for large groups is often high. This paper describes: (a) the scenario of a large multi-campus medical centre that requires competency-based education in basic life support for 4,500 students and staff; (b) a process that entails the re-engineering of competency-based credentialling services through the design, integration and use of a multi-media CD-ROM; and (c) outcomes of enhanced learning and cost savings coupled with reduced organizational risk.