In today’s rapidly evolving professional landscape, a critical challenge has surfaced for graduates across academic disciplines, as well as in the computing field in particular: While they are often well-versed in foundational theory, there is an evident gap when it comes to cross-disciplinary skills, professional dispositions, and the real-world application of their knowledge. In order to help students become equipped with skills that transcend theoretical learning, leading academic bodies such as ABET and ACM have already made strides towards introducing competency-based approaches into curricula. There are a number of groups who have created professional competency models, such as SFIA and O-NET. However, existing frameworks are often designed by committees, rather than empirical research.
