Competency-Based Education supported by FeedbackFruits
CBE ensures that students master essential skills and competencies at their own pace focusing on demonstrated proficiency rather than seat time, fostering learning and real-world readiness.

What is competency based education?
Competency-based education (CBE) is a learning approach that prioritizes demonstrated mastery of skills and knowledge over time spent in a classroom. Instead of progressing through a course based on a fixed schedule, students advance when they can prove their competency through assessments, projects, or real-world applications. This method ensures that learning is personalized, flexible, and focused on practical skill attainment, making education more meaningful and aligned with workforce and life demands.
Why competency-based education?
CBE increases student retention and success by allowing learners to progress at their own pace, ensuring mastery before moving forward (Le et al., 2014). Research shows that CBE improves engagement and motivation by making learning more relevant because it is skills-focused (Soares, 2012). By emphasizing real-world applications and authentic assessments, CBE better prepares students for workforce demands and lifelong learning (Voorhees, 2001). CBE flexible structure supports diverse learners, reducing achievement gaps and fostering equity in education (Klein-Collins, 2018).
Fostering flexible learning
Competency based grading led to performance improvements for all students, with the most gains for women and first-generation students - groups typically at higher risk of attrition in STEM fields.

Richard et al, 2022
Implementing Competency-Based Grading Improves the Performance of Women and First Generation Students
Boosting student performance
Meta-analysis shows that competency-based education methods significantly boost student performance across diverse educational contexts.

Anderson et al. 2019
Implementing Universal Design
Instruction in Doctor of Nursing Practice Education
Instruction in Doctor of Nursing Practice Education
Deeper understanding
Comprehensive review indicates that competency-based learning approaches lead to enhanced student outcomes and deeper learning.

Smith et al, 2021
Community Collaboration, Use of Universal Design in the Classroom

How does FeedbackFruits support competency-based education?
Faculty and instructional designers can effectively implement CBE by clearly defining the competencies students need to master and designing assessments that allow learners to demonstrate these skills in various contexts. Incorporating self-paced learning modules enables students to progress upon achieving mastery, catering to individual learning speeds. Regular formative assessments and timely feedback are crucial to guide students through their learning paths.
FeedbackFruits offers learning activities that align seamlessly with CBE principles. For instance, Peer Review provides structured peer assessments, allowing students to engage in reflective practices and gain diverse perspectives on their work. With Skill Review, instructors can also provide targeted feedback on specific competencies, ensuring that assessments are directly linked to the desired skills. Additionally, Self-Assessment empowers students to evaluate their own progress, fostering self-regulated learning and personal accountability. By leveraging these learning designs and activities, educators can create a dynamic and supportive CBE environment that promotes mastery and continuous
FeedbackFruits offers learning activities that align seamlessly with CBE principles. For instance, Peer Review provides structured peer assessments, allowing students to engage in reflective practices and gain diverse perspectives on their work. With Skill Review, instructors can also provide targeted feedback on specific competencies, ensuring that assessments are directly linked to the desired skills. Additionally, Self-Assessment empowers students to evaluate their own progress, fostering self-regulated learning and personal accountability. By leveraging these learning designs and activities, educators can create a dynamic and supportive CBE environment that promotes mastery and continuous
Get started with CBE using our pre-made learning design templates
These templates—designed by experienced educators—offer proven structures for implementing competency-based education. Simply select a template, customize it, and launch engaging activities in minutes.
Browse all templatesCompetency-based education, directly within your LMS
FeedbackFruits integrates seamlessly with your Learning Management System, making it simple to incorporate CBE activities into your existing courses. Whether you teach online, hybrid, or face-to-face, FeedbackFruits ensures that activating student participation is just a few clicks away—no additional overhead, no steep learning curve.





Explore our free resources about competency-based education
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Competency-based education: Empower authentic and skill-based learning
Explore the Competency-based education (CBE) framework and how it can help you enhance career readiness and student success
Read more
Empower authentic and skill-based learning at NHL Stenden
Learn how NHL Stenden made the transition from traditional portfolios to a streamlined, user-friendly approach that enables students to concentrate more fully on learning
Read more
What is authentic assessment? A full guide of educators
This article presents a comprehensive guide to authentic assessment by elaborating on the definition, its impact, its design, and how to integrate AI tools to support the implementation of this approach.
Read moreSee what FeedbackFruits learning activities can be used to support competency-based education
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