'Wicked' competencies are those which are hard to define and cause assessors problems. They are the competences (often skills and other complex achievements) that graduate employers say they value
Can universities be taken seriously as regards claims to foster 'wicked' competencies, given the general view that what is not assessed is not taken seriously in the curriculum? A response to the larger question hinges on answering others: How do universities asses wicked competences? Can we trust their assessments? How do they communicate achievement in respect of these competences? And, do the assessment practices raise questions about the teaching of these wicked competencies?
There are two main schools of thought with regard to the assessment of these competencies. One bluntly says that they are ineffable and beyond assessment. The other says that they must be assessed.
Professional bodies and regulators generally expect some form of assessment of these 'wicked' competencies and although there is no shortage of advice about how this might be done the advice does not really solve the problem of assessing hard-to-define or 'fuzzy' outcomes. There is agreement on one thing, namely that good criteria are needed, even though we know (a) it is challenging to imagine 'good' criteria when it comes fo fuzzy outcomes (b) that criteria are re-interpreted in different ways by different assessors.
The study has produced a report providing advice on the assessment of 'wicked' competences, especially in practice-based professional learning.
