A Process for Competence Specification in Computing Education
Resumo
Competency-Based Education requires competence specifications capable of relating knowledge, skills, dispositions, and expected performance across diverse educational contexts. However, deriving coherent and reusable competence formulations from educational tasks remains a challenging activity in Computing Education. This paper presents the Competency Specification Process (CSP), an iterative approach for eliciting, reviewing, refining, and reusing competence specifications derived from educational tasks. The evaluation involved successive applications in Problem-Based Learning scenarios from Theory of Computation and complementary introductory Computing Education contexts, including integrated technical high-school education. The results revealed recurrent challenges involving knowledge granularity, competence overlap, action-verb selection, and Bloom-aligned cognitive expectations. Across successive cycles, CSP supported clearer competence boundaries, improved specification consistency, and increased reuse across related tasks. These findings suggest that competence specification benefits from iterative review and refinement activities and can be supported through a structured process that promotes stability, reuse, and curricular coherence across instructional contexts.
Palavras-chave:
Competence Specification, Competency-Based Education, Computing Education
Referências
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Clear, A., Clear, T., Impagliazzo, J., and Wang, P. (2020a). From knowledge-based to competency-based computing education: Future directions. In 2020 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), pages 1–7.
Clear, A., Clear, T., Vichare, A., Charles, T., Frezza, S., Gutica, M., Lunt, B., Maiorana, F., Pears, A., Pitt, F., Riedesel, C., and Szynkiewicz, J. (2020b). Designing computer science competency statements: A process and curriculum model for the 21st century. In Proceedings of the Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE-WGR '20, page 211–246, New York, NY, USA. Association for Computing Machinery.
Dodero, J. M., Sánchez-Alonso, S., and Frosch-Wilke, D. (2007). Generative instructional engineering of competence development programmes. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 13:1213–1233.
Force, C. T. (2020). Computing Curricula 2020: Paradigms for Global Computing Education. Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA.
Frezza, S., Daniels, M., Pears, A., Cajander, A., Kann, V., Kapoor, A., McDermott, R., Peters, A.-K., Sabin, M., and Wallace, C. (2018). Modelling competencies for computing education beyond 2020: a research based approach to defining competencies in the computing disciplines. In Proceedings Companion of the 23rd Annual ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE 2018 Companion, page 148–174, New York, NY, USA. Association for Computing Machinery.
Giaffredo, S., Mich, L., and Ronchetti, M. (2017). From the project-based learning method towards the competence-based approach to education. In Proceedings of the 6th Computer Science Education Research Conference, CSERC '17, page 56–65, New York, NY, USA. Association for Computing Machinery.
Miranda, S., Orciuoli, F., Loia, V., and Sampson, D. (2016). An ontology-based model for competence management. Data & Knowledge Engineering, 107.
Mulder, M. (2012). Competence-based education and training. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 18.
Paquette, G., Marino, O., and Bejaoui, R. (2021). A new competency ontology for learning environments personalization.
Pikkarainen, E. (2014). Competence as a key concept of educational theory: A semiotic point of view. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 48.
Rezgui, K. and Mhiri Sellami, H. (2020). Towards a semantic framework for lifelong integrated competency management and development. The Computer Journal, 63:1004–1016.
Stoof, A., Martens, R., Van Merrienboer, J. J. G., and Bastiaens, T. (2002). The boundary approach of competence: A constructivist aid for understanding and using the concept of competence. Human Resource Development Review, 1:345–365.
Westera, W. (2001). Competences in education: A confusion of tongues. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 33(1):75–88.
Calhau, R. F., Azevedo, C. L. B., and Almeida, J. P. A. (2021). Towards ontology-based competence modeling in enterprise architecture. In 2021 IEEE 25th International Enterprise Distributed Object Computing Conference (EDOC), pages 71–81.
Clear, A., Clear, T., Impagliazzo, J., and Wang, P. (2020a). From knowledge-based to competency-based computing education: Future directions. In 2020 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), pages 1–7.
Clear, A., Clear, T., Vichare, A., Charles, T., Frezza, S., Gutica, M., Lunt, B., Maiorana, F., Pears, A., Pitt, F., Riedesel, C., and Szynkiewicz, J. (2020b). Designing computer science competency statements: A process and curriculum model for the 21st century. In Proceedings of the Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE-WGR '20, page 211–246, New York, NY, USA. Association for Computing Machinery.
Dodero, J. M., Sánchez-Alonso, S., and Frosch-Wilke, D. (2007). Generative instructional engineering of competence development programmes. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 13:1213–1233.
Force, C. T. (2020). Computing Curricula 2020: Paradigms for Global Computing Education. Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA.
Frezza, S., Daniels, M., Pears, A., Cajander, A., Kann, V., Kapoor, A., McDermott, R., Peters, A.-K., Sabin, M., and Wallace, C. (2018). Modelling competencies for computing education beyond 2020: a research based approach to defining competencies in the computing disciplines. In Proceedings Companion of the 23rd Annual ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE 2018 Companion, page 148–174, New York, NY, USA. Association for Computing Machinery.
Giaffredo, S., Mich, L., and Ronchetti, M. (2017). From the project-based learning method towards the competence-based approach to education. In Proceedings of the 6th Computer Science Education Research Conference, CSERC '17, page 56–65, New York, NY, USA. Association for Computing Machinery.
Miranda, S., Orciuoli, F., Loia, V., and Sampson, D. (2016). An ontology-based model for competence management. Data & Knowledge Engineering, 107.
Mulder, M. (2012). Competence-based education and training. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 18.
Paquette, G., Marino, O., and Bejaoui, R. (2021). A new competency ontology for learning environments personalization.
Pikkarainen, E. (2014). Competence as a key concept of educational theory: A semiotic point of view. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 48.
Rezgui, K. and Mhiri Sellami, H. (2020). Towards a semantic framework for lifelong integrated competency management and development. The Computer Journal, 63:1004–1016.
Stoof, A., Martens, R., Van Merrienboer, J. J. G., and Bastiaens, T. (2002). The boundary approach of competence: A constructivist aid for understanding and using the concept of competence. Human Resource Development Review, 1:345–365.
Westera, W. (2001). Competences in education: A confusion of tongues. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 33(1):75–88.
Publicado
05/10/2026
Como Citar
GOMES, Edeyson A.; SALVADOR, Lais N.; CERQUEIRA, Marcos V. B..
A Process for Competence Specification in Computing Education. In: SIMPÓSIO BRASILEIRO DE INFORMÁTICA NA EDUCAÇÃO (SBIE), 37. , 2026, Goiânia/GO.
Anais [...].
Porto Alegre: Sociedade Brasileira de Computação,
2026
.
p. 1332-1345.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbie.2026.27786.
