Abstract

by Carrie B. Lenburg, EdD, RN, FAAN

A significant category of issues and problems related to promoting competence pertains to the limitations or absence of a cohesive conceptual framework that supports learning and assessment methods focused on practice competencies. Typically, teachers in academic and practice settings use traditional course objectives, lectures, and evaluation methods that often are characterized as teacher-focused, subjective, and inconsistent. These historical practices obscure the development of a specific delineation of practice competencies to be attained and documented. The basic problems center on changing these traditional methods and implementing others that are more outcomes oriented and consistent with contemporary practice needs, and doing so from the foundation of a defensible and cohesive conceptual framework. The purpose of this article is to describe the importance of such a framework and the integration of essential concepts in developing and implementing competency outcomes, interactive learning strategies, and psychometrically-sound performance assessment methods. The COPA Model is explored in detail to illustrate the integration of these concepts into an effective framework that supports competency outcomes and assessment required for contemporary practice. It presents an example to stimulate adaptation and application to meet the goals of diverse academic and practice entities. Although this article describes application of the COPA Model in the academic setting, the principles and criteria presented are equally applicable for educators in the service setting.

Key words: assessment, competence, competency-based, evaluation, nursing education, performance examinations, testing concepts