Dive Brief:
- Early adopters of competency-based education have provided a path forward in four steps for schools considering their first program.
- According to eCampus News, the first step is identifying programs best-suited for CBE, meaning those that allow students to demonstrate mastery of measurable skills — business, medical, technology, and graphic design programs have been the most popular choices so far.
- Schools should then build an assessment framework and develop rubrics for measuring student progress, determine a pace for the programs and pricing structure, and pick a tech partner for a comprehensive information system that allows for nontraditional program lengths, financial aid packages, and student learning data.
Dive Insight:
Competency-based education has become a popular potential offering for schools trying to recruit returning students and those who want to finish degree programs at a faster pace than is traditionally possible. The U.S. Department of Education, however, has been hot and cold on its support for the programs. Most recently the department’s inspector general criticized the Higher Learning Commission’s accreditation of competency-based programs because it said the level of student-teacher interaction may not have met high enough standards. To qualify for federal financial aid, there needs to be “regular and substantive” interaction between instructors and students.
The CBExchange conference at the end of September was designed to help institutions move forward on program development. While the government is deciding what to do, colleges and universities seem to be moving forward with at least preliminary planning.