TRADITIONAL MODEL
- Course- and credit-driven
- Time determines progress
- Grades summarize performance
- Knowledge assessed in isolation
ATSU / arizona school of health sciences / academics / Master of Athletic Training / Competency-Based Education
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Why this model What is Competency-Based Education Model structure Learning experience Real-world training Support and mentorship Preparing you for practice Future of learningLearn how Competency-Based Education transforms the way students learn and succeed
Competency-Based Education (CBE) is reshaping how health professions prepare students for practice. In a world of course grades and credit hours, CBE asks a simpler, more powerful question: Can you do what matters most in real-world practice—and can you do it with consistency, confidence, and care?
At A.T. Still University (ATSU), the Master of Athletic Training (MAT) program was the first in the profession to adopt a true CBE model. It’s a shift in focus from earning just credits to developing competence. Each step in the program is designed to make sure that what you learn in the classroom, simulation lab, and clinical environment connects directly to what you’ll do as a practicing athletic trainer.
COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION MODEL
- Competency- and performance-driven
- Mastery determines progress
- Demonstration proves readiness
- Skills applied in real contexts
What Competency-Based Education means
In a traditional college or university program, you complete a course, take exams, and move on at the end of the semester. Progress is tied to time—each class runs for a fixed number of weeks, and your final grade reflects an average of assignments and test scores. It’s possible to finish a course with an overall passing grade but still feel uncertain about certain concepts or skills.
Competency-Based Education takes a different approach. It starts with clearly defined competencies—statements of what every graduate should know and be able to do. These competencies are directly aligned with professional standards in athletic training, accreditation outcomes, and the real expectations of modern healthcare employers. Every learning experience, assessment, and clinical activity connects back to the competencies.
In ATSU’s MAT program, your progress isn’t measured by how long you spend in class; it’s measured by your ability to demonstrate mastery. Whether through a patient simulation, a clinical decision-making case, or performance in a supervised clinical experience, you move forward when you’ve shown readiness to apply your learning in authentic contexts and when you feel confident in your own knowledge and skills.
Mastery within structure
Although CBE emphasizes demonstration over duration, ATSU’s model still uses a traditional academic framework. The MAT program follows semester-based credit hours and a linear course sequence—so you’ll always know where you are and what’s next. Within each academic period, however, you’ll have the ability to self-pace to a degree: spending extra time on complex topics, advancing more quickly through content you’ve mastered, and receiving ongoing feedback from faculty mentors.
This blend of structure and flexibility ensures that every student reaches the same professional standard while maintaining accountability to program expectations. It’s less about how long it takes you to finish and more about finishing strong.
Students describe this model as both challenging and reassuring—it gives them room to grow without letting them drift.
The emphasis on mastery means you’ll leave each course confident in your ability to perform, not just familiar with the material. To learn more about the MAT program's linear, scaffolded curriculum model, click here.
How learning looks in a CBE program
Competency-Based Education shifts the day-to-day learning experience. You won’t simply listen, memorize, and test. You’ll engage with a cycle of learning, application, feedback, and reflection that mirrors real clinical reasoning.
Learn with purpose
Each module begins with explicit learning outcomes tied to athletic training competencies. You’ll know exactly what skill or behavior you’re expected to demonstrate.
Apply knowledge early
Instead of saving application for the end of a course—like a final exam—you’ll practice as you go, through case studies, virtual simulations, small-group discussions, and scenario-based assignments.
Receive targeted feedback
Faculty mentors provide individualized feedback to help you refine your skills. You’ll learn not just whether you’re right or wrong, but why.
Demonstrate mastery
Assessment comes when you’re ready. That might mean performing a patient evaluation in simulation, explaining your clinical reasoning, or documenting a care plan that meets professional standards.
Each of these steps is designed to connect what you learn intellectually with what you’ll do practically—bridging the gap between theory and care.
The importance of real-world training
Athletic training is a hands-on, decision-driven profession. Success depends on judgment, adaptability, and confidence under pressure. Competency-Based Education aligns perfectly with that reality.
By focusing on mastery, CBE ensures that every student can integrate knowledge across body systems, recognize the nuances of patient presentations, and respond appropriately to diverse health conditions. It removes the risk of “getting through” a topic without truly understanding it.
The model also mirrors how clinical competence develops in practice. As a student, you’ll learn to self-assess, seek feedback, and continuously refine your performance—habits that translate directly into lifelong professional growth.
Support and mentorship built in
Competency-Based Education doesn’t mean learning alone. In fact, it relies heavily on mentorship. Faculty members serve as coaches, not just instructors. They help you interpret feedback, plan next steps, and connect classroom concepts to patient care.
Mentorship extends into the clinical environment as well. Preceptors and clinical educators are trained to observe and assess specific competencies, ensuring consistent standards across all learning settings. This creates a clear line of sight from academic learning to clinical readiness.
Within ATSU’s collaborative online environment, students also support each other—sharing cases, insights, and encouragement as they move through the program together. The result is a culture of accountability and connection that reinforces the core values of CBE.
YOUR CBE SUPPORT NETWORK:
Faculty mentors
COACHING AND FEEDBACK
Clinical preceptors
COMPETENCY-BASED EVALUATION
Peer learning community
COLLABORATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Preparing you for practice, not just the exam
Competency-Based Education isn’t about raising the bar—it’s about aligning the bar with reality. By the time you graduate, you’ll have demonstrated every competency required for safe, effective, and compassionate athletic training practice. You won’t be hoping you’re ready; you’ll know you are.
Graduates enter the field with confidence grounded in experience—having already applied their skills in authentic clinical settings, responded to feedback, and proven their readiness for independent decision-making. That preparation goes beyond passing the Board of Certification (BOC) exam; it establishes a mindset of continual growth and professional excellence.
The future of learning in athletic training
As healthcare becomes more complex and interprofessional, education must evolve to match it. ATSU’s adoption of a Competency-Based Education model marks an intentional step toward that future. It’s not just about being first—it’s about setting a new standard for how athletic trainers are prepared to think, act, and lead in today’s healthcare system.
CBE transforms learning from a sequence of courses into a journey of mastery.
It turns students in the Master of Athletic Training program into professionals who don’t just know what to do—they know why they’re doing it.