What is the AMOD method?

18. What is the AMOD method?

AMOD (“A model”), a variant of DACUM, is characterised by creating a strong relationship between the competencies and subcompetencies defined in the DACUM map, the learning process and the assessment of learning.

To carry out AMOD, once the DACUM map has been done, the experts committee sets about the identification of big areas of competency. Areas of competency are organised in sequence in the most appropriate way so that their order may facilitate that workers master them during training. According to experts, each of the areas of competency is assigned the subcompetencies and skills, going from the more to the less complex.

Up to the research chart on competencies, the AMOD method is identical to DACUM. But then onwards, subcompetencies are ordered according to their degree of complexity within each of the competencies identified. The idea is to organise the subcompetencies that build up each competency by beginning with the simpler ones until the most complex are considered. This must be done with each of the main competencies that make up the occupation under analysis.

Once this has been organised, all functions and their corresponding tasks will be ordered according to a complexity criterion. In this way, the occupation can be viewed with the different degrees of complexity of its functions and tasks.

Once they have been ordered according to complexity, the ordering criterion changes to show the manner in which the learning curriculum of the occupation should be structured. At this point, AMOD research chart serves as a basis for curriculum design, and therefore, the process to order subcompetencies takes the following questions as a basis:

• How does training begin?
• How does it develop?
• How does training end?(1)

Based on this logic, groups of subcompetencies that are taken from different functions and ordered according to the criterion of facilitating learning of the occupation under analysis are structured. This objective of facilitating learning determines the organisation of subcompetencies according to their level of complexity. To that effect, the following criteria can be applied: organising them from the practical to the theoretical or from the simplest to the most complex. In some cases, experts may chose to combine the two criteria so that they can come closer to the real conditions of the learning process involved in the occupation under analysis.(2)

The result is the AMOD research chart, which has areas of competency with subcompetencies ordered according to the learning criterion chosen. Thus, the AMOD research chart is introduced with its training modules; in this way, each learning module includes subcompetencies belonging to a similar level of complexity which becomes more complicated as it progresses from one module to the next. The design of this research chart is totally concerned with training, but, as it may be noticed, it always corresponds to the competencies identified. When the AMOD research chart is available, a process of revision and validation should be carried out so that it remains representative.

Summary of AMOD process

Go through the DACUM process until obtaining a validated research chart.

Order the tasks of each function; from the simplest to the most difficult one.

Structure “modules” by combining tasks of even different functions, with the criterion of facilitating learning. This criterion consists in ordering modules according to their level of complexity; that is: how should learning begin? How does it develop? How does it end? To that effect, the criterion of going from the easiest to the most difficult, or from the particular to the general, or another criterion the group’s experience shows, may be adopted.

Just like DACUM, AMOD is known as a dynamic and quick method to establish competencies and training programmes.(3)