A Psychologist Tried to Wing It. IKON SKILLS™ Had Other Ideas.

A psychologist with a doctorate in Psychology thought he could probably wing a Core Competency. IKON SKILLS™ asked him to show what he can do with what he knows.

This Practitioner Voices feature shares the story of Dr. Paul Charles in his own words. Paul is a psychologist, author, and educator, and Founder at The Resilient Learning Foundation. He completed the Behavioural Insights Practitioner Core Competency on IKON SKILLS™, then wrote about it in a public LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dr-paul-charles-009b256b_just-completed-the-behavioural-insights-share-7527002252054654977-GOZY/

He thought he could wing it

Paul did not walk in as a beginner. He came in with a doctorate in Psychology, and with professional experience.

I approached the programme with a doctorate in Psychology, specialising in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I must confess, I thought I could probably "wing it!" Well, IKON had other ideas!

The system was not looking for a list of things he already knew. It wanted proof of skill.

I quickly discovered that the system was not particularly impressed by what I already knew. It wanted evidence of what I could actually DO with what I knew! And when my responses did not adequately demonstrate competency, it called me out!

That happened more than once.

On at least two occasions, I had to rethink my approach, revise my responses and try again because I had not sufficiently demonstrated the required competency.

A bot check, and no copy and paste

Then the assessment took a turn he did not see coming.

Then came something I certainly did not anticipate. At one point, the system appeared to question whether a real person was completing the assessment or whether it was dealing with a bot! A bot check!

I had to laugh. Here I was, a psychologist being challenged by a learning system to demonstrate not only my competence but also the authenticity of my participation! I even tried to "copy and paste" and the system does not allow that. I laughed because my son is also completing a micro-credential and he is checking me out.

Feedback in real time, then a graded reflection

What impressed him was the whole experience, and how fast the feedback came.

Real-time learning. Real-time feedback. Real-time competency checks. Real-time assessment.

No waiting days or weeks for an assessor. The feedback identified what was missing and gave me an opportunity to improve.

He then reached the final scenario assessment.

Eventually, I reached the final scenario assessment and achieved 81%, earning a Proficient rating.

The Core Competency still was not over.

But IKON was not finished with me! It then required a graded reflection: Where did I start? What had changed in my thinking? What would I now do differently? And what practical action would I take in my own workplace?

This was not simply about passing an assessment. It required me to reflect on my learning and demonstrate how I intended to apply it.

After he completed the competency, an email arrived to confirm it.

And after completing the competency, an email confirming completion!

Knowing is not the same as doing

Paul then asked what the experience meant to him, as someone who works in psychology and education.

As a psychologist, author and educator, I see something profoundly important here. We have spent generations building educational systems that often reward learners for recalling information. Yet the real question is whether they can apply that knowledge competently, ethically and effectively.

IKON challenged the distinction between knowing, understanding and demonstrating.

It also reminded me of something I passionately believe: learning is not validated merely by the possession of knowledge, but by the capacity to use it. And perhaps the greatest surprise was discovering that even my professional experience did not exempt me from having to demonstrate competence.

His last line on credentials is clear.

My qualifications opened the door to the assessment. They did not answer the questions for me!

He offered congratulations to Dr. Roy and the team:

Dr Roy, congratulations on what you and your team are building.

Then he summed up the journey in a few words:

I entered thinking I could wing it. I left having been challenged, corrected, assessed and encouraged to reflect. And that, to me, is what meaningful learning should accomplish.

An educational system should not simply tell learners that they have succeeded. It should help them understand why they have not yet succeeded and give them the opportunity to become competent.

That is what IKON SKILLS™ is built to do. Most certificates prove you attended. IKON SKILLS™ proves you can do it.

Try the first Core Competency free

You can read Paul's full post on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dr-paul-charles-009b256b_just-completed-the-behavioural-insights-share-7527002252054654977-GOZY/). If you want to see how a Core Competency feels for yourself, try the first Core Competency free at www.ikonskills.com (https://www.ikonskills.com).

Ky. Col. Prof. Dr. Edward Roy Krishnan
Founder & Creator of IKON SKILLS™ at www.ikonskills.com