Competency-based Education (CBE) A Path Forward Dr. Ross Wirth ross.wirth@franklin.edu IACBE Annual...

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Competency-based Education (CBE)

A Path Forward

Dr. Ross Wirth ross.wirth@franklin.edu

IACBE Annual Conference – April 9, 2014

• What is “competency-based education?”

• What leading schools are doing

• 3 Basic Approaches – complementary, but potentially confusing if all done at once

• Phased CBE Expansion– Course, degree, non-credit, blank sheet

Objectives for Today

• CBE can mean – low cost to purposeful design– Recognizing prior learning

• At a competency (not course) level (portfolio and/or exams)

– Lower cost, self-paced program of study (new modality)• Current assignments, projects, or competency exams

– Strengthened learning outcomes• Focus on demonstration of learning• Clear rubrics for evaluating depth of learning

– Purposeful curriculum design that is modular and independent of course structure• May include Direct Assessment of competencies

Competency-based Education

Students are provided with the • means to acquire the knowledge and

skills • at an individual pace • to demonstrate achievement • of specific competencies • identified as necessary to complete a

program and earn a degree or other credential.

Competency-based Model

4Source: US Dept. of Education

Leading Edge Schools

Western Governors University– Started in 1995 with self-paced CBE (no legacy programs) – 6 month enrollment windows, no limit on number of courses– 120 Competencies, but tied to traditional course structure – Advisors, graders, & some Q&A support (MS required)

• Note: Advisors are called “faculty” but advise 80-100 students

– 40,000 students currently enrolled– Starting to partner with community colleges

• Establishing articulation pathways with community colleges along withCBE course development (mostly information technology courses)

• Leveraging grants – Ivy Tech (Gates grant) & Sinclair (DoL grant)

– $5780/yr – all-you-can-learn 6-month subscription model

Southern New Hampshire Univ.• dba College for America (concept driven by Clay Christensen)

– Developed separate from other programs– 120 competencies – direct assessment (no courses) – P/F grading– Working toward grouping competencies into course equivalents – No time restriction for mastery; work on multiple modules at same time– ePortfolio & badge system for demonstrating progress– Advisors & content experts – very data-driven with predictive analytics– Modules also marketed separately to employers (non-credit)– AA in general business studies currently– Coming – BA in communications, with specialties in health care

management and business– Breakeven thought to be 5000 students (500 currently)

• Target enrollment of 350,000 by 2018– $2500/year – All-you-can-learn

Kentucky Community & Technical College System

– Two self-paced options• Learn-On-Demand – removes dead time in the academic calendar• Direct2Degree –

– Carefully designed single-train course sequence (new) - also a good advising model for other modalities - Easy to skip past courses that have been transferred in

– Working toward 24x7 faculty support with back-up available– 24 hour turnaround for grading

– Learning Resources• Textbook (adaptive learning) fee required in addition to tuition • This fee is proportionally split among all publishers based on “average

student use”

Kentucky Community & Technical College System

– Monthly subscription to encourage faster progression (25 mo.) – Adaptive learning enables more modules for the subscription fee– 81 modules for AS in General Studies taken individually and

organized into courses when all modules for a course are done• 3 to 5 modules per course • Adding Business Admin., Info. Tech., & Nursing

– Each module (3-8 weeks) stands alone for credit for stop-outs– 3-levels of competency across one to three courses– Financial Aid options –

• semester term (traditional student) • non-term (multiple starts each semester)• no-term monthly subscription (DoEd experimental site)

CBE Approaches

• Mix (from lowest to highest cost to deliver)

– Student Curated thru Directed Search • Leverage existing resources, but fill in gaps

through student searching by key words provided

– Flipped Classroom using • Existing content in LMS (Blue Quill) • Open Resources (add additional time to ID

& vet)

– Publisher’s Adaptive Learning platform• Adds to the cost to deliver, but quicker

Decision – Learning Resources

• 3 approaches to CBE– Additional modality for individual

courses• Opportunistic & Quick implementation

– Focused, single-train of courses• Intensive with quick response times

– Secondary brand (like College for America)• Disruptive, but leverages existing resources

Decision – CBE Approach

Complementary to offer but potentially confusing Students must choose one

• Course-based or Direct Assessment?• Self-paced or within existing

modalities?• Time & capital available to develop?• Development approach?– OER, Student Curated, Adaptive

Learning?

• Types of Assessment?• Separate or aligned with existing

courses?• Financial Aid Integration?

Approach – Decision Criteria

Phased Roll-outEnhancement to

Concept

1. New Modality – Individual Courses– Self-paced with Support Services

2. Extend to a full Degree Path– Single Train, Tri-modalities, or 2nd

3. Content Re-use for non-credit offering – Potential for pathway to credit

4. Full Competency Mapping– Ultimate Objective for CBE

Growing the Concept

Learning & Assessment Flow

Exam for

credit

CourseComplete

UnitPre-test

UnitPost-test

LearningActivity

ADAPTIVE

ADAPTIVE FLOW

Course Pre-Test

CoursePost-Test

Series of Learning Modules

Competency-based Education (CBE)

A Path Forward

CBE requires managing in a way to avoid common trade-offs

• Cost lower• Speed quicker• Quality unchanged for

academicsimproved for student

support

Trade-off Challenge to Avoid

• Offers an alternative to online & F2F• Speed can be increased, but without

a reduction in student cost• Fits easily within existing financial

aid• Individual courses can be

implemented as faculty have time and interest

Mixed Modalities

• Can be run in parallel with existing financial aid, but without an ability to move back-and-forth between approaches– Students must choose a financial aid

• Provides a student advising model

Single-train Completion

• Single Train course sequence–Majority of courses common to all

degrees–No alternate pathways for elective

options

• Competency-based, self-paced learning

• No-frills, low-cost student pricing• No financial aid, but with provision

for adjustment for economic situation

New Division - Business Model

similar to College for America

Best Practices• Successful ideas becoming common in CBE programs– Competencies grouped into self-paced courses

• Students are challenged at their level of knowledge and progress• Competency report to complement the transcript

– All-you-can-learn subscription model (monthly?)• Difficult to integrate with other term based modalities

– Single-train course sequence (also an advising model) – Adaptive learning to recognize prior learning (text included)– Authentic assessment

• Projects & portfolios

– Extensive student support system• Advisors & LMS tracking

• Working Adult• Prior experience in field of study• Some college, but no degree• Self-starter & able to follow

directions• Technology savvy– Information literate

Target CBE Student

• Learning Outcomes are defined in terms of–“Particular levels of knowledge,

skills, and abilities that a student has attained”

• Competencies take this further by –Describing learning outcomes in

terms that “describe not only what is to be learned but also the specific levels of performance that students are expected to master”

Competency vs. Learning Outcome

24Peter Ewel (2001)

• Self-paced modality– Leverages existing learning resources– Complemented with adaptive learning

• Provides a continuum of offerings– Values instructor assistance in learning– Recognizes cost of assessing across

different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Meets the challenge of lowering cost to students (if they are qualified learners)

–While maintaining quality

Phase 1 Summary

• Expands from individual courses to a full degree program– Targets additional self-paced courses– Integrates with existing modalities

when students require greater instructor interaction

• Expand competencies into assessing higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy– Develop additional exams (100-200 level)

and competency-based assignments (300-400 level)

Phase 2 Summary

• Short essay questions structured around a competency-driven grading rubric– Competency assessed with

demonstration of learning

• Peer Assessment (progress tracking)– Clearly defined rubric– Calibration exercise prior to peer

assessment–Multiple (3-5) peers doing the

assessment

Alternate Assessment

• Pass/Fail grading – Currently no P/F option for Franklin courses– Limit on number of P/F courses accepted?

• New compensation model is required– Roles: process advisor, content Q&A, and

grader– Unknown degree of student need for help &

time required that is likely to vary by course

Policy Gaps

• Develop a “total needs” curriculum that–Meets the needs of graduating students

and employee development by hiring managers

• Leverages faculty and LMS content across multiple markets with hooks for up-selling– Includes a pathway to credit that

leverages student data for suggestive marketing

Phase 3 Summary

• Entrepreneurship – Seminars and UG Certificate

• HRM 701 & SHRM CEUs – CCE seminars • Risk Mgt & Insurance – CCE seminars • Internet Marketing – CCE seminars • Information Analytics – Oracle Certificate • Business Forensics – UG Certificate• Inst Design & Perf Tech – GR Certificate• Turnkey “Corporate University”

Potential Pilot Projects

• Needs closer alignment between credit and non-credit course development & administration

• Requires curriculum to be deconstructed into a “business needs” structure

• An integrated marketing approach is required

• Will need to track competencies separate from Colleague

Phase 3 gaps to be addressed

• Approach Program Outcomes independent from courses (Blank Sheet curriculum development)– Competencies first, then courses as

competency groups (for transferability) – Assessment of higher levels of competency

built into the course sequence

Phase 4 Summary

• Industry needs, built on academic foundation– Certification focus– Competency Model Clearinghouse

• Academics, taking into account hiring manager needs– Degree focus– Tuning USA built on Lumina DQP

Two Approaches to Competency Specification

• Franklin’s current Gen. Ed. & Programs

• OBR Transfer Module (part of Franklin’s)

• Lumina Degree Qualifications Profile– Tuning USA degree specification

• Competency Model Clearinghouse (DoL)

• Modeled after other schools– Southern New Hampshire University– Western Governors University– Northern Arizona University

Existing Competency Frameworks

• What competencies are required of all graduates? (Gen. Ed. structure is redesigned)

• What competencies are specific to established groups of jobs? (Bus. & Prof. Core)

• How can the above competencies be structured for delivery within a “course” structure?

• How many of the required learning components and assessments already exist?

• Direct and/or course-based assessment?• How can articulation be enabled?

Blank-Sheet Program Design

1. Self-paced modality for courses 2. Expand competencies into

assessing higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy

3. Non-credit Integration – multiple pathways to credit

4. Purposeful curriculum development using competencies across the program

Summary Multi-phase Pilot Tests

• Hip Pocket slides

Kentucky Community & Technical College System– Learning Resources

• Textbook (adaptive learning) fee required in addition to tuition • This fee is proportionally split among all publishers based on

“average student use”

– Learning & Assessment• Credit for prior learning with pre-test passthru to post-test (grade)• Authentic assessment (projects & portfolios)

– Student Support• Extra effort made to ensure student engagement• Using brainfuse.com for on-demand tutoring, study tools, and study

groups (significant impact on learning & retention)• Starfish Retention Solutions for advising (improved retention)

Univ. of Wisconsin system• Flexible Option

– Rolling out a three month “all-you-can-learn” term program• Subscription model - $9000/year or $900 per “competency set”

– (expected to cover 50% of up-front development expense)• A degree is composed of eight to 15 competency sets• New 3-month “term” begins the first of each month• 1 to 85 student advising ratio

– Direct Assessment – no tie to credit hours– Incorporates Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)

• Assessed via exams, case study analysis, papers, & portfolio review

– $8,000,000 initial funding– Failed to get DoED approval for Federal Financial Aid for roll-out

• Moving toward Experimental Site status

Capella University (pilot test) – New self-paced modality developed for a few programs– Four to 10 competencies per course plus “final” assessment– “Direct assessment” of learning, but not really– “open ended” term – DoEd waived rules for financial aid – Limited to students of corporate partners– BS Business Admin. & MBA

UniversityNow– dba Pattern University & New Charter University (not accredited)

• 1000 students, mainly in Pattern University– Pattern CBE, online, self-paced

• $350/mo. Undergraduate & $520/mo. Graduate • Does not participate in Federal Financial Aid program

– Prospective students can sample classes – up to final exam

Southern New Hampshire Univ.• dba College for America cont.

– President Paul LeBlanc now spends more time in Washington and at conferences than on campus

– 5 year board commitment– $3,500,000 investment last year

– Breakeven thought to be 5000 students (500 currently)– Target enrollment of 350,000 by 2018

– Partnering with Kepler University (kepler.org) to bring low cost ($1000/yr) higher education to Rwanda

• Learning path – student customized– Course pre-assessment of prior learning –Meet with a “personal mentor” to

customize a learning path for the course• Mentors are F/T employees who have a

graduate degree in field they oversee

– Self-paced learning using support material

– Competency exam or assessed assignments

Western Governors University

Northern Arizona University– Separate from other programs (Pearson adaptive learning)

• Design process: existing courses → competencies → independent, interdisciplinary modules → courses for transferability

– BS computer information technology & small business admin.– 500 students currently – 8000 in five years to hit breakeven– Considering monthly subscription (currently six months)

• No refund once the month starts & financial aid paid at month end– “Competency report” in addition to traditional transcript– Direct assessment of learning

• Pre-test to award credit for prior learning• Has had some difficulty with accreditation in a few states

– Each learning component supported in multiple ways• Text, video, exercises, etc.

• In use at Northern Arizona University– Supports direct assessment of

competencies– Complements traditional course-based

transcript• Courses are composed of separate

competencies that are taken individually

– Serves as a communication device for student use with potential employers

Competency Transcript

• Multi-tier – Northern Arizona University– “competency” is deemed as 86% of “mastery”– Option to go deeper by doing additional assignments

that show higher comprehension • More complex application of learning• Student differentiation extends to effort expended

– However, this increases the time to develop assessments

– Competency Transcript describes competency, type of assessment, and level achieved

• Capella and College of America (SNHU) – Non-performance, basic, proficient, and distinguished – “Distinguished” level required at graduate level

(Capella)

Direct Assessment

Cross-institutionDegree Tuning

(Competency Alignment)

Dr. Ross Wirth

Tuning is• a collaborative, faculty-driven

process that• identifies what a student should

know and• be able to do in a chosen discipline• at the completion of a degree by– defining areas of competency– identifying learning outcomes and– scaling competencies and outcomes to a

degree level

Degree Tuning

48Source: Institute for Evidence-based Change (IEBC)

• Tuning is faculty-driven,– With input from employers and students

• Tuning does not standardize, but– Organizes what is common and accepted

• Tuning does not require new curriculum, but– Does offer an opportunity to be more

intentional

• Tuning focuses on Learning Outcomes,– Not curricula nor method of delivery

• Tuning does not all address everything,– Institutional individuality is encouraged

Tuning

Tuning,• a faculty-driven response to the

Bologna process, is• the process of “harmonizing”• higher education programs and

degrees• by defining student learning

outcomes• by subject area

Tuning – definition 2

50Source: Tuning Educational Structures USA

• Purposeful curriculum design that is–Mapped across progressive courses of– Increased rigor and high-impact

challenges to– Engage students in more complex levels

of achievement

Tuning – Objective

• Students gain clear expectations and pathways to degree completion – Elevator speech for why their degree is important for

employers– Scaffolding for underrepresented students

• Aligns coursework with civic, societal, and workforce needs– Provides a response to criticism of higher education

• Responsiveness to changes in discipline knowledge and its application

• Aligns higher education institutions• Emphasizes life-long learning• Faculty enjoy engagement in the discipline

Benefits of Tuning

1. Define the discipline core2. Map career pathways3. Consult with stakeholders4. Hone core competencies and

learning objectives5. Draft degree specifications

Tuning Process Components

• Students need– Clarity of what courses are required–How each course relates to their post-

college goals (including general education courses)

–Understanding of what is needed for success in each course and in their career

1. Communicate effectively (F-1)2. Evaluate arguments in a logical fashion

(F-2)3. Employ the methods of inquiry

characteristic of natural sciences, social sciences, and the arts and humanities (F-4, 7, & 8)

4. Acquire an understanding of our global and diverse culture and society (F-6)

5. Engage in our democratic society (F-6)

OBR Transfer Module

55(Franklin’s outcome)

• Graduates will 1. Communicate effectively (L-2e O-1)2. Apply logical thinking and critical analysis (L-2a O-2)3. Apply ethical analysis and reasoning (L-2c)4. Demonstrate scientific literacy (L-1 O-3)5. Use mathematical information and processes (L-2d)6. Reflect on global interdependence as it may relate to

personal responsibility and societal obligations (L-4 O-4&5)

7. Recognize, analyze, and evaluate humanities artifacts (L-1 O-3)

8. Apply fundamental concepts, theories, and research methodologies of the social and behavioral sciences into personal, social, and professional contexts (L-1 O-3)

Franklin’s Gen. Ed. Outcomes

56(Lumina & OBR outcome)

1. Broad/Integrative Knowledge (F-4, 7, & 8)

2. Intellectual Skillsa) Analytic inquiry (F-2)b) Use of information resources c) Engaging diverse perspectives (F-3)d) Quantitative fluency (F-5)e) Communication fluency (F-1)

3. Applied Learning (F-major)4. Civic Learning (F-6)5. Specialized Knowledge (F-major)

Lumina Degree Profile

57(Franklin’s outcome)

• Acquiring knowledge and understanding

• Applying knowledge and understanding

• Making informed judgments and choices

• Communicating knowledge & understanding

• Capacities to continue learning• Tuning – Subject Area Reference

Points

Bologna ProcessDublin Descriptors

• Degree Qualifications Profile (Lumina)– Levels of degree rigor– Cross-curriculum general ed

competencies

• Tuning (IEBC & Tuning USA)– Discipline-specific competencies– Driven by faculty, vetted by employers

• Institution-specific differentiation – Specialized curriculum & methods of

delivery

Degree Qualifications & Tuning

1. Collaboration among discipline faculty

2. Facilitation – discussion guided by data

3. Intervention – strategy grounded in data

4. Gauging progress – tracking metrics

5. Lasting change that has continual review and adjustment – Scaling what works, tweaking what

needs improvement, & discontinuing the ineffective

Evidence-based Change Model

• 1st wave: MN, IN, & UT– Biology, chemistry, physics, history, elementary

education, & graphic arts

• 2nd wave: TX – Engineering: mechanical, civil, chemical, & bio-

medical

• 2nd wave: KY– Business (general & marketing), nursing, social

work, biology, & elementary education

• Other states: IL, MO, & community colleges

Tuning USA Initiatives

• Lumina Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP)– Becoming a standard for building competencies

• Tuning USA & Institute for Evidence-Based Change – Cross-institution degree alignment (Midwest Higher Education

Compact)

• Council for Adult and Experiential Learning– Measuring student learning

• National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment– Assessment & the DQP (8 OH schools now involved)

• Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (OECD)– Standardized testing

• The Bologna Process– Actively involved in cross-institution tuning

• Institute for Higher Education Policy– US alignment with The Bologna Process

• CareerOneStop (DoL)– Building workplace competency models

To what extent should we be involved?

• The eTextbook is only a repackaged text.

• What might a new concept textbook be?

Next Generation Textbook/Course

IntellectualCapital

Multi-mediaLearning

Resources

GamificationCompetencyRubrics

Imagine thepossibility of

building somethinghere?*

Competency-based Education (CBE) A Path Forward Dr. Ross Wirth ross.wirth@franklin.edu IACBE Annual...

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