How to Write Competencies

Applying Blooms Taxonomy to Developing Educational Objectives

Creating competencies for lessons and courses can be accomplished by applying Bloom's
taxonomy to the desired outcomes.
Blooms taxonomy provides a structured way to develop educational objectives. It also can
be extended to the new demands for competencies that are being introduced in K-12
schools. These competencies, popular with businesses and some higher educational
institutions, are related to learning objectives but specifically describe the behaviors, skills
and knowledge necessary for success in a course or series of courses.
Structure of a Competency
Competencies can be written by building their structure upon Blooms taxonomy; from the
lowest to highest level in the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains. Each one
should introduce the skills, knowledge and behaviors necessary for successful completion
and being ready for the next level of courses or success in a chosen career.
Each individual competency should be specific to the attribute being described. It should
start with an action verb followed by an object, such as, Analyze local, regional, national,
or global problems or challenges. Competencies should be performance based and
measurable, for example, in which scientific inquiry can be or has been used to determine
a solution. In this example the words used are not relative but specifically relate to the
desire that students can take an example and determine how science can or has been
used to solve the problem.
Importance of Verb Choice
The action verb used to start each competency is very important. In the above example
the competency starts with the verb analyze. Analyze is from the analysis level of the
Cognitive Domain in Blooms taxonomy. If the course is more basic, the competency writer
might choose a word from a lower level, such as recognize. A course that emphasizes
higher order thinking skills might use a verb from a higher level, such as the verb justify.
A verb list for Blooms taxonomy, such as one that can be found online and downloaded as
a Word document, can assist with determining which verb is appropriate for different
competencies. Start by choosing whether the competency will describe a behavior
(affective domain), skill (psychomotor domain) or knowledge (cognitive domain) and
whether it will be a lower or higher level. Then the list of verbs can provide a starting point
for writing the sentence.
Writing competencies can seem a daunting task. When coupled with the familiar structure
of Blooms taxonomy they become easier to create and identify. Remember to start with an
action verb, followed by an object and complete the competency with specific information
describing the outcome. The action verb can be changed depending on how high of a level
the student should be able to achieve in the associated domain.
Read more at Suite101: How to Write Competencies: Applying Blooms Taxonomy to
Developing Educational Objectives

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GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING COMPETENCIES

Format:
1. Begin with a present tense action verb. (Example: Convert picas to points
and inches.)
2. Each action verb requires an object. (Example: Identify bacteria, fungi, and
parasites.)
(Verb followed by object)
3. Each competency is measurable and/or observable. (Example: Describe
general methods of child study by describing such procedures as
longitudinal study, case study and correlational study.)
4.

Each competency is based on performance. (Example: Evaluate literacy

genre from a historical perspective by comparing and contrasting the literary
works in the 19 Century.)
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5.

Do not use evaluative or relative adjectives. (Do not use words like good,
effective, appropriate.)

6.

Do not use evaluative or relative adverbs. (Do not use words like quickly,
slowly, immediately.)

7.

Do not use qualifying phrases. (Do not use a phrase such as Write with
greater confidence.)

8.

Say what you mean, using only necessary words.

Content
1. Use all domains as appropriate: cognitive, psychomotor and affective.
2. Build the level of learning from the lowest level to the highest level in each
domain, e.g., from knowledge to evaluation in the cognitive domain; from
imitation to naturalization in the psychomotor domain; and from receiving to
characterizing in the affective domain.
3.

Organize similar knowledge, skill and abilities together into a competency,

developing a smaller number of competencies rather than an extensive number
of knowledge, skills and ability outcomes.

4.

Introduce the knowledge, skills and abilities required for transfer to upper
division programs, or performance in career.

5.

Relate competencies to prerequisites and general education requirements.

6. Include systematic, critical, and creative processes.

7.

Reinforce critical thinking and oral communication.