Competencies – Too Many or Not Enough?

How many competencies are reasonable for your one-credit course?  Your three-credit course? How would you decide?

For academic credits, use this guideline:

• 1 credit hour = 6-10 competencies
• 1 competency= 3 contact hours
• 1 competency = 9 hours of learner effort

If you are designing a curriculum for an occupation, think of it this way:

1. First, consider the biggest performance statement. This is a duty.
2. A duty can be divided into tasks describing a clearly definable unit of work.
3. Each task can have one to three competencies.

A common guideline looks like this:

• 1 occupation = 8-12 duties
• 1 duty= 6-30 tasks
• 1 task = 1-3 competencies

Remember, these are just guidelines; your specific course might vary.

Read more: WIDS Helps You Ask "Why?"