A proficiency model for creating instructional design objectives and to empower students in their own learning. It is a hybrid model based on principles from Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of ‘Flow’.

This model has four basic +1 stages: unlearned, basic familiarity, practiced proficiency, mastery, and reflective competence.

1. SLIDES: Allen, Christopher
(2014, July 22). “The
Proficiency Ladder”. Life With
Alacrity. Retrieved July 22,
2014, from http://
www.LifeWithAlacrity.com
The Proficiency
Ladder
ABSTRACT: “A proficiency model for
designing instructional design
objectives and to empower students
in their own learning. It is a hybrid
model based on principles from
Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of ‘Flow’.
This model has four basic +1 stages:
unlearned, basic familiarity,
practiced proficiency, mastery, and
reflective competence.”
© 2014 Christopher Allen
LifeWithAlacrity.com

2. Proficiency
Ladder
This is the Proficiency Ladder that I use in all of my
courses. It is a good model for instructional design
and to empower students in their own learning.
Hidden Transcript 2
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Unlearned!
(unconscious!
incompetence)
Practiced Proficiency
(conscious!
competence)
Mastery
(unconscious
competence)
“Wow!”!
Second Nature
“Duh.”
Unawareness
Basic Familiarity!
(conscious!
incompetence)
“Hmm?”
Awareness
“Doh!”
Learning/Change

3. Flow The Proficiency Ladder uses Flow as one of
its basic design principles.
Hidden Transcript 3
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Flow
Flow

4. Flow
Flow is Csikszentmihalyi’s (chick-sent-me-hi’s)
feeling of complete and energized focus in an activity,
with a high level of enjoyment and fulfillment.
Hidden Transcript 4
photo credit: Eva Lotta-Lamm licensed CC-BY-NC-SA

5. Flow Flow is balance between sufficient Challenge
and sufficient Ability to achieve Success.
Hidden Transcript 5
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ABILITY
SUCCESS
CHALLENGE
Flow
Flow

6. Anxiety You loose Flow with too much Challenge
or too little Ability, causing Anxiety…
Hidden Transcript 6
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Flow
Flow
ABILITY
SUCCESS
CHALLENGE
Anxiety

7. Anxiety …or, you loose Flow through Boredom
with too little Challenge or too much Ability.
Hidden Transcript 7
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Flow
Flow
ABILITY
SUCCESS
Boredom
CHALLENGE
Anxiety

8. The Player’s
Journey
Amy Jo Kim shows how a ladder of Flow
is integral to the mastery of skills in games.
Hidden Transcript 8
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9. Motivating
Flow
In Csikszentmihalyi’s Eight Channel Model of
Intrinsic Motivation, he notes people are more
motivated by Arousal, Control and Flow.
Hidden Transcript 9
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10. Arousal
& Control
Thus maintaining Flow is a balancing act
— Arousal keeps you motivated,
Control helps keeps the stress down.
Hidden Transcript 10
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SUCCESS
Arousal
Control
ABILITY
CHALLENGE
Flow
Flow

11. Avoiding Anxiety
& Boredom
Yet you still must avoid
Anxiety and Boredom.
Hidden Transcript 11
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SUCCESS
Anxiety
Boredom
Arousal
Control
ABILITY
CHALLENGE
Flow
Flow

12. Emotions of
Flow
To balance Flow, it is helpful understand the
emotions of Flow. Early on Control leads to
Awareness — Arousal motivates you to Change.
Hidden Transcript 12
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SUCCESS
Arousal
Control
ABILITY
CHALLENGE
“Wow!”!
Second Nature
“Duh.”
Unawareness
“Hmm?”
Awareness
“Doh!”
Learning/Change

13. Emotions of
Flow
But too much Arousal can lead Anxiety.
To much Control can lead to Boredom. All must
be balanced to Flow toward Mastery.
Hidden Transcript 13
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SUCCESS
Anxiety
Boredom
Arousal
Control
ABILITY
CHALLENGE
“Wow!”!
Second Nature
“Duh.”
Unawareness
“Hmm?”
Awareness
“Doh!”
Learning/Change
“Woah!”
Overwhelm
“Ouch!”
The Wall
“Zzz.”
No Motivation
“Hrm.”
Not Relevant

14. Objective
Nouns
The nouns the Proficiency Ladder allow for
consistent use in course objectives.
Hidden Transcript 14
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“Wow!”!
Second Nature
“Hmm?”
Awareness
“Doh!”
Learning/Change
Unlearned!
(unconscious!
incompetence)
Practiced Proficiency
(conscious!
competence)
Mastery
(unconscious
competence)
Basic Familiarity!
(conscious!
incompetence)
“Duh.”
Unawareness

15. Objective
Nouns
The evocative words Awareness, Learning/
Change and Second Nature, and the emotions
attached to them, are useful for students.
Hidden Transcript 15
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“Wow!”!
Second Nature
“Hmm?”
Awareness
“Doh!”
Learning/Change
Unlearned!
(unconscious!
incompetence)
Practiced Proficiency
(conscious!
competence)
Mastery
(unconscious
competence)
Basic Familiarity!
(conscious!
incompetence)
“Duh.”
Unawareness

16. Learning
Objectives
An example: Here are the high level
learning objectives that I have in my
MBA course “Digital Influence”
Hidden Transcript 16
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Digital Influence
“Learn how to use influence ethically
to effect positive change.”
Have a mastery of influence and persuasion within a
professional context.
Have a practiced proficiency in speaking authentically online
and be able to use this authenticity to effect ethical digital
influence in a variety of communication mediums.
Have a basic familiarity of digital skills and online tools.

17. Proficiency Ladder
and Objectives
This is what I share with my students
at the beginning of the course.
Hidden Transcript 17
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Unlearned!
(unconscious!
incompetence)
Digital Skills
& Online
Tools
Speak
Authentically
Influence and
Persuasion
Affect Ethical
Digital
Influence
Mastery
(unconscious
competence)
“Wow!”!
Second Nature
“Duh.”
Unawareness
Basic Familiarity!
(conscious!
incompetence)
“Hmm?”
Awareness
Practiced Proficiency
(conscious!
competence)
“Doh!”
Learning/Change

18. Don’t Overwhelm
It is important that students know to
not go too far — Mastery is not required for
many of the skills I teach.
Hidden Transcript 18
photo credit: ATTRIBUTION&URL licensed CC-BY
Unlearned!
(unconscious!
incompetence)
Digital Skills
& Online
Tools
Speak
Authentically
Influence and
Persuasion
Affect Ethical
Digital
Influence
Mastery
(unconscious
competence)
“Wow!”!
Second Nature
“Duh.”
Unawareness
Basic Familiarity!
(conscious!
incompetence)
“Hmm?”
Awareness
Practiced Proficiency
(conscious!
competence)
“Doh!”
Learning/Change

19. Basic
Familiarity
Thus I tell students when to not dive deep,
as I am asking only for Awareness,
not Change. To feel “Hmm?”, not “Doh!”.
Hidden Transcript 19
photo credit: ATTRIBUTION&URL licensed CC-BY
Unlearned!
(unconscious!
incompetence)
Basic Familiarity!
(conscious!
incompetence)
Digital Skills
& Online
Tools
“Hmm?”
Awareness
“Duh.”
Unawareness
“Doh!”
Learning/Change

20. Practiced
Proficiency
At other times they need to be prepared
that the Learning may be difficult —
that Change is required.
Hidden Transcript 20
photo credit: ATTRIBUTION&URL licensed CC-BY
Unlearned!
(unconscious!
incompetence)
Affect Ethical
Digital
Influence
“Duh.”
Unawareness
Basic Familiarity!
(conscious!
incompetence)
“Hmm?”
Awareness
Practiced Proficiency
(conscious!
competence)
“Doh!”
Learning/Change

21. Mastery
Finally, students should understand that true
Mastery of a skill is achieved when they can say
“Wow!” because it became “Second Nature”.
Hidden Transcript 21
photo credit: ATTRIBUTION&URL licensed CC-BY
Unlearned!
(unconscious!
incompetence)
Mastery
(unconscious
competence)
Basic Familiarity!
(conscious!
incompetence)
Practiced Proficiency
(conscious!
competence)
Digital Skills
& Online
Tools
Speak
Authentically
Influence and
Persuasion
Affect Ethical
Digital
Influence
“Wow!”!
Second Nature
“Duh.”
Unawareness
“Hmm?”
Awareness
“Doh!”
Learning/Change

22. Evaluating
Objectives
As the course progresses, I can
have student’s self-evaluate their
performance using this same model.
Hidden Transcript 22
photo credit: ATTRIBUTION&URL licensed CC-BY
Where do you put yourself Today in regards to
Speaking Authentically Online?
“Wow!”
Second Nature!
“Aha!”
Learning/Change!
“Hmm?”
Awareness!
“Duh.”
Unawareness

23. Not a
Rubric
Note that the Proficiency Ladder is NOT a rubric, nor a
competency model. It does not sufficiently define specific
criteria or competition. It is is a point of PROGRESS.
Hidden Transcript 23
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rubric noun ˈrü-brik, -ˌbrik
“A guide listing specific criteria for grading or scoring academic
papers, projects, or tests.”
[Latin: rubrica ‘red ochre, red coloring matter,’meaning ‘title or
heading of a book’]
com·pe·tence noun ˈkäm-pə-tən(t)s
“The ability to do something well : the quality or state of being
competent.”
[Latin: present participle of competere (see compete)]
pro·fi·cient adjective prə-ˈfi-shənt
“Well advanced in an art, occupation, or branch of knowledge.”
[Latin: proficere ‘accomplish, make progress’ pro forward +
facere to make]

24. Reflective
Competence
There is one more level of the Proficiency Ladder
— Reflective Competency is what is required to
discover how to teach something you’ve Mastered.
Hidden Transcript 24
photo credit: ATTRIBUTION&URL licensed CC-BY
Unlearned!
(unconscious!
incompetence)
Practiced Proficiency
(conscious!
competence)
Mastery
(unconscious
competence)
“Wow!”!
Second Nature
“Duh.”
Unawareness
Basic Familiarity!
(conscious!
incompetence)
“Hmm?”
Awareness
“Doh!”
Learning/Change
“<blink>?”
How Did I Do That?
Reflective
Competency
(conscious
reflection)