Higher Education Forum Volume 17
published_at 2020-03

Validity of Outcome-oriented, Competency-based Education in the Age of Global Student Mobility: Implications from an EU-Japan comparative study on competencies expected of university graduates

Matsuzuka Yukari
fulltext
1.33 MB
HigherEducationForum_17_1.pdf
Abstract
Outcome-oriented, competency-based education has recently been discussed intensively in the higher education community. This education model, a product of more than a hundred years of theoretical dialogue and pedagogical implementation at different levels of schooling and training, is now recognized as effective for university education in the age of global student mobility. As outcome-oriented, competency-based education is oriented to provide clearly prescribed information on the profiles of credits and degrees universities offer, it is seen to enable objective-oriented and seamless learning across different institutions and regions. However, a recent survey in Japan and the EU revealed that there are significant regional differences in expectations regarding the competencies of university graduates. In particular, the expectations of Japanese employers are remarkably different from other stakeholders in both Japan and the EU. To the extent that outcome-oriented, competency-based education is developed through consultation with employers, its utilization requires careful implementation in a global setting.
Keywords
Outcome-oriented education/learning
competency-based education/learning
global student mobility
Tuning project
cross-regional comparative study
Japan and the EU