Dive Brief:
- Capella University has gained a solid reputation for its competency-based education options, offering students a flexible, online, self-directed program in FlexPath.
- The program doesn’t have lectures or faculty-led activities and a syllabus doesn’t force a set timeline on each course beyond the requirement that students prove they have mastered the topic within the 12-week semester, according to eCampusNews.
- Students turn in papers to prove competency and faculty provide feedback throughout the course but leave students to struggle and learn on their own—a model that has helped learners develop the skills they need to succeed in their professional lives, eCampus News reports.
Dive Insight:
When Capella University graduated its first class of FlexPath students in January, several pointed to the model as the reason for their success, according to eCampusNews reporting. The lack of structure is not right for everyone, especially considering self-directed learning is almost entirely left out of standard K-12 curricula in the United States. Returning students, however, seem to find the program fits into skills they’ve already started developing in the workplace or want to foster for career advancement.
Capella University has gotten the approval of the U.S. Department of Education as well as a number of Fortune 100 companies and hundreds of colleges and universities that are willing to accept Capella course credit for transfers. It’s certainly a program to watch when it comes to competency-based education.