This chapter provided an outline of study with the following sections: background of the study, research purpose, research questions, significance if the study, delimitations, and the definitions of terms.
Background of the Study
Integrated Competency and Application (iCAP) was established by Workforce Development Agency in Taiwan. According to exposure on the iCAP official website, there are 44 cases already passed the competency-based course accreditation requirements. One of them applied in 2013, twelve of them applied in 2014 and the remaining applied in 2015.After training institutions implement the requirements set by competency-based course accreditation, the organization will give them a certification symbol. The accreditation has its valid date about 3 years after successfully passed the requirements. The distributions of applicants’ institutions are described as followed. The passed courses can be categorized as five main categories, finance and management, technology science, computer science, design and food science. In these five categories, five of them are in the category of finance and management, four of them are in the category of finance and management, three of them are in the category of computer science, and the last two are in category of design and food science.
The goal of competency-based course accreditation is to make assurance the quality of competency curriculum. The main task of competency-based course accreditation is to examine the process of course to make sure the training development and the consequence having high quality, and to make sure if it is conscientious, appropriate and effective among the course demands, course design and course development.
The mission of course design is to conduct competency model focus on different jobs in specific industry, enterprise or organization. Therefore, the learners can gain the specific
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The critical success factors are usually discussed to find out the efficient and effective ways to fulfill the objectives. The researcher of this study had searched literature about critical success factors, most of them discussed about critical success factors in business such as the ways of using balanced score, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software solutions, project management, business intelligence system, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 and process management. To date there is no research discussing about the critical success factors of passing Integrated Competency and Application, so this study is to explore critical success factors to let the future applicant as animportant reference.
Significance of the Study
Business competitions have converted form technology innovation to knowledge management. Companies are putting more attentions on human capital. In order to increase human capital institutions and companies are putting more focus on training. For the purposeof making sure the quality and effectiveness of the training, the strategic way is to apply for relevant accreditation to verify if the training design is in accordance with the requirements or not. With the confirmed accreditation symbol, the training intuitions will have more convinced to let learners know how they are qualified.
As the training is getting more attentions by business and academic institutions nowadays, the quality of the course become an issue. Institutions can try to get the certification in order to convince outsiders how qualified they are. This study help apply institutions realize more about iCAP. Through the exploring the critical success factors of passing competency-based course accreditation, the future applicant can save time to figure out ways to successfully pass the accreditation, and use more effective and efficient ways to design the course.
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Research Purposes
Well-designed courses and learning materials have a big influence on the result of training course. It’s is important to encourage some training organization and institution to verify if the courses are qualified or not. The competency-based course accreditationprovide quality assurance and set some criteria and requirements for training institutions to know clear in order to reach the standards and to have the better design of the course what they should follow through those steps. Quality assurance organization also helps training institutions to make inspections by themselves if all the designs are going well to the learners.
Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find out the right way to reach the requirements of competency-based course accreditation. The following list is research propose of this study:
1. To explore the critical successful factors of cases who passed the competency-based course accreditation
2. To explore the common processes among the courses which have already passed the competency-based course accreditation.
3. To explore the process of course design and preparation they prepare in order to pass the competency-based course accreditation
Research Questions
Based on the previous part of background of study and research purpose, the research questions were developed.
1. What are the critical successful factors lead to pass the competency-based course accreditation?
2. What are the categories of those common processes?
3. What are the processesof course design and preparation they prepare in order to pass the competency-based course accreditation?
4. What are the difficulties during the whole process?
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Delimitations
This research is delimitated to this accreditation which conduct by Workforce Development Agency in Taiwan. In order to let everyone knows how to design competency-base course, the competency-based course accreditation was conduct to let applicants has a clear way to follow. Therefore, the critical success factors explored by this study only suit by Integrated Competency and Application in Taiwan.
Definitions of Terms Course Development
This study adapted analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) model that proposed by Gagné, Golas, Keller&Wager (2005),to define course development process, whichis of the instructional systems design (ISD) process.The model helps to decide the tool to use and show the linear stages (Gustafson & Branch, 2002).
Competency
According to the definition on the official website of iCAP (2016) competency includes knowledge, skill and ability. The definition of knowledge is in order to operate one task one need to realize the principle and facts which can apply in one particular industry. The definition of skill is getting both hard skills and soft skills. The definition of ability is the attitude and action to one thing which include inner motivation and behavioral tendencies.
Course
According to the definition on the official website iCAP (2016) course contains lecturer or instructors, syllabus, time constraint and it is usually focus on one unit subject also it is usually explained in detail. In this study, course is defined as series teaching process and with all neededmaterials.
Competency-Based Course
In this study used the definition on the official website iCAP (2016) competency-based
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course is defined as course within all relevant competencies and require competencies learners will get after finishing the whole course. Competency-based course needs to identify competencies for each topic in learning objects and to write detail of what knowledge, skills and attitude student will gain after finishing the whole course. In this study, competency-based course is defined as course which contained competencies and designed by competency needs.
Critical Success Factors
CSFs are generally defined as “ways to ensure successful competitive performance for individuals, departments, or organizations” (Bullen, 1986, p. 385).CSFs are indication to “get right” in successfully and completely fulfill the business goals (Rockart, 1986). In this study, critical success factors are defined as to get the right way andsuccessfully fulfill the goal.
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