Dr.'s Jeanette Mowery and Linnea Fletcher talk about the process of identifying core competencies for biotechnology education.

1. Core Competencies for the
Bioscience Laboratory
Jeanette Mowery
Linnea Fletcher

2. • Round 2, DOL TAACCCT Award to Forsyth Tech CC
– Community College Consortium for Bioscience Credentials
– 12 colleges, 3 centers
• Identify Core Competencies in 3 Sector Hubs
• Biomanufacturing
– NBC2
• Medical Devices (new)
• Bioscience Laboratory
– Bio-Link

3. Why this effort to define core skills?
• Give educators the tools to develop courses,
certificates, modules, etc.
– Assessments
• Define skills and knowledge necessary for
entry level positions
– Students know and can articulate what they know
– Industry recognizes what students know
– Means to measure learning outcomes
• Possibly develop credential based on those
core competencies

4. DRAFT: Common Core Bioscience
Laboratory Skill Standards

5. Draft of Common Core based on:
2007 Biotechnology and
Biomedical Skill Standards;
Copyright 2007
http://www.bio-
link.org/home/shoreline-
community-
college/biotechnology-skill-
standards
Bioscience Competency
Model: U.S. Department of
Laborwww.careeronestop.
org/COMPETENCYMODEL/
pyramid.aspx?BIOSCI=Y

6. Existing draft
• 10 Core topics
• Common Work Tasks
• Useful to stimulate discussion
• Wording and organization are important if
going to find common ground between other
two sector hubs

7. Laboratory
Skills
Biomanufacturing
Biomedical
devices
?

8. Organization of Skill Standards
• Critical Work Functions
– Major responsibilities of the job
• Key Activities
– Activities need to accomplish a critical work
function
• Performance Criteria
– Concrete, visible ways that we will know the
individual is doing the activity correctly

11. Example

12. Then… drill down

13. Performance Criteria

14. Texas Skill Standards
• Skill standards tell us what a worker needs
to know and be able to do at work and
how well he or she must perform to be
competent in the job.

15. Texas Skill Standards Elements
• 3 “Work-Oriented” Elements:
– Critical Work Functions - broad areas of
responsibility (10-12)
– Key Activities – major tasks required to achieve
Critical Work Function (3-6)
– Performance Criteria – standard or proficiency
level to which Key Activity must be performed
– Plus 3 “Worker-Oriented” Elements

16. Example
• Critical Work Function
• 2. Clean and maintain environment
• Key Activity
• 2.1 Clean laboratory environment
Performance Criteria
• 2.1.1 SOPs are followed
• 2.1.2 Personal protection equipment (PPE) such as gloves,
eye protection, aprons and respirators are worn as needed
• 2.1.3 Appropriate agent(s) and amounts for cleaning are
used
• 2.1.4 Cleaning is documented

17. • 3 “Worker-Oriented” Elements
Occupational Knowledge, Skills and Conditions – technical know-
how plus tools, resources & equipment
• Knowledge of the cleaning agents, pest control and other pertinent
information needed to clean and maintain the laboratory environment
• Knowledge of company EH&S, GXPs, and OSHA
• Knowledge of documentation
• Knowledge of basic chemistry
• Company SOPs
• Cleaning Agents
• Gloves, goggles, apron, respirator
• Safety SOPs, Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) and related documentation
• Other PPE as needed
• Company safety forms for activity
PLUS
– Academic Knowledge and Skills – traditional subjects
– Employability Knowledge and Skills – SCANS-type competencies

18. Elements in Skill Standards
• 7th Element:
• Statement of Assessment – how to
evaluate skill competency of person, as
recommended by industry
• Examples: Lab practical, lab notebook

19. So…
• Current draft is not organized in this way
• Next steps?

20. Process?
• Identify Core Critical Work Functions
– Big buckets
– Not too many of these
– Put activities in appropriate bucket

21. Possible: Critical Work Functions
• Perform routine laboratory support
• Maintain a safe and productive work
environment
• Perform record keeping and manage data
• Use measurement instrumentation accurately
• Practice quality control and comply with
government regulations

22. Key activities for one Critical Work Function
• Perform record keeping and manage data
– Maintain laboratory notebook
– Enter and manage laboratory information
electronically
– Follow/write documentation such as SOP, batch
record, etc.

23. Discussion Time