Evaluation of outcomes in each of these programs relies on each School specifying its own criteria, its own standards, and its own requirements in terms of sources of evidence for making judgements and decisions about who graduates and who does not. Those assessing or making judgements need to have a means to know what the expectations are - that is, an understanding of the competencies and knowledge base being assessed. Furthermore, the assessors require the ability to make observations and judgements, keep records, obey decision-making rules, and be open to independent monitoring. The process of education is not demeaned through defining competencies. Indeed the process is one of the outcomes, because the fostering, nurturing and cultivating aspects of it, which were identified by John Dewey in 1916, are reflected by competent graduates.
Competencies are any attributes of an individual which contribute to performance.
Surely knowledge is the foundation for competent performance. Striving for excellence is more likely to be fostered by nurturing learners and cultivating competencies than by preparing for success in norm-referenced methods of assessment. The reason for developing and reviewing course objectives and the performance criteria which are to be assessed is not to stultify educational programs. Rather, it is because of the understanding that there are continuously evolving contemporary needs which require competencies to be expressed with ever greater precision. Competencies include knowledge, thinking processes, manual skills, attitudes, motivations and beliefs.