A Case for Excellence

The goal of a competency-based approach is to identify the minimum standards of performance, or the threshold between competent and not competent. This is a key determinator for student progression and graduation. However, in my experience, less than 5% of a class are at risk of falling into this category. Despite this being a low frequency – high risk concern, educators can spend a significant amount of time trying to stop the progression of these 1 or 2 weak performers.

Some of the strategies I have seen implemented include:

• Implementing a course pass rate above 50%.
• Designating the skill component of a course (e.g. lab) as pass/not pass.
• Increasing the rigour and/or frequency of clinical evaluations.

This focus on minimum standards, while important, distracts us from important conversations about excellent performance and improving the professional standards. I propose that when we don’t also focus on excellence, we are doing a disservice to our students, our profession, and the public.

Some of the strategies I recommend:

• Increasing the rigour in the curriculum so that 50% is the minimum standard.
• Developing skill /clinical evaluations that flag weak performance early and facilitate a more comprehensive evaluation that supports a remediation plan. 
• Designing clinical evaluations that support the progression from the minimum standards to standards of excellence.
• Introducing innovative, evidence-based approaches to reduce the need for clinical time.

I have created benchmarks of excellence by tracking the progression of the best students. I have found that articulating this benchmark can motivate some of the average students (and their clinical supervisors) towards excellence. It also helps that weak student to truly see the gaps in their performance. If you want to learn more, contact me.