Lynda Fuller
Don Durandetta
Wilmington University
Topics
 Why competency based learning?
 Why the Human Resource Management Program?
 Steps in the process
 Administrative Issues
 Challenges
Background
 Private, non-profit university
 18,000 students; six academic colleges
 Mission: provide opportunities to underserved
 Business model
 College of Business—ca. 5,000 students
 Traditional credit-hour system
 120-credit programs
 About 40 courses (3-credits)
Background
 Active online programs
 Experiential learning initiative
 Internships
 Cooperative education

Develop “tracks” in selected programs

Select courses to be offered in co-op modality
 College of Online and Experiential Learning
Background
 Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
(CAEL)
 Interest in Competency Based Learning
 Southern New Hampshire University
 Western Governors University
 DePaul University New School for Learning
Background
 Started to look at two programs
 College of Technology—Information Systems
 College of Business—Human Resource Management
 Developed some assumptions and guidelines
 Communication with faculty senate
Background
 Assumptions and guidelines
 Track within a program
 Equivalent to current “120-credit” programs
 Compatible with student needs

Financial aid and tuition reimbursement

Recognizable transcript formats

Fit adult learner model
 Compatible with university systems
What is a Competency?
 Learning outcomes
 Knowledge, skills and abilities (Ewell, 2001)
 Competency
 Higher categorical level than learning outcomes
 Combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities
 Application of knowledge, skills and abilities in a variety
of ways…situations
 Clearly defined and objectively measured
Mastering a Competency
 Prior learning




Formal or informal
CLEP / DANTES
Certifications
Self-study
 Experiential Learning



Career/professional experiences
Military service
Co-ops, internships
 Traditional courses
Measuring Competencies
 Verifiable rigorous assessments
 Multiple assessments per competency
 Knowledge, facts, theory
 Skills and abilities
 Portfolio of approach to mastery of competencies
 Comprehensive program examination
General Concept
Current
Program
Courses
(goals and
learning
objectives)
Dissect
Define
Program
Competencies
and
Assessments
Reassemble
Program
Course
Credits
To
Generate
A
“Typical”
Program
Transcript
Middle States Pilot
 Detailed instructions
 Key inputs requested
 Description, population served, need
 Administration, resources
 Student assistance to master competencies
 Quality assurance
 Equivalency to current credit hour programs
Why Human Resource Management?
 Society of Human Resource Management
 Competency based guidelines

Nine broad areas of competencies

Well defined and structured
 Current program aligned with SHRM
Current HRM Program Outline
 Program is 120 credit hours
 General education
39 credits
 General business core
33
“
 HRM program core
33
“
 Business electives
9
“
 Free electives
6
“
HRM Core Competencies
 Started with SHRM nine competencies
 Identified key learning outcomes in each
 Compared to current program goals
 Added competencies or reduced redundancies
 Defined 28 HRM program competencies
 Assessments
 Mapped these back to current courses
Business Core Competencies
 Business core contains fundamental courses
 Eleven course (33 credits)
 Major disciplines represented
 Competencies
 Reevaluated what was “needed to know”
 Reduced redundancies and streamlined
 About four per course
 Assessments
 Map to courses
General Education Competencies
 Graduation competencies
 Start with University values
 Relate values to University graduation competencies
 Align with more specific performance competencies
 Develop learning activities/objectives
 Develop appropriate assessments
 Competencies align with any program
 Same general education requirements for most degrees
 Some programs has special needs (i.e. math)
Population served & Needs
 Population of adult learners
 Experience in business organizations
 Experience in HR field
 Have prior learning
 Population needs
 Smooth path to degree
 Efficient use of time
 Credit recognition of organizational experiences
 Credit for prior learning
Administration and Resources
 Student program advising
 Evaluate incoming student inventory of knowledge,
skills and abilities
 Map efficient path to degree

Competencies to challenge upon entry

Plan to master other competencies
 Maintain map of competencies mastered
Competency Map
Project
Management
Supervisory
Mgt.
Finance
Principals
of Mgt.
Cost
Accounting
International
HR
Salary &
Benefits
Strategic
HR
Organizational
Behavior
HR Law
Organizational
Development
Marketing
Competency Planning Map
Certification
PLA
Prof exp
Co-op
Course
Co-op
Self-study
Course
Learning unit
Learning unit
CLEP
Self-study
Role of Faculty
 Advisor
 Works closely with the advising support
 Academic support for competency maps
 Academic facilitator
 Helps develop competency assessments
 Grades competency assessments
 Helps guide students toward competency mastery



Suggests/provides resources
Develops supplementary learning units
Instruction as needed
Quality assurance
 Outcomes assessment process
 Develop OA process for competency program


Keep as close to current OA process as possible
Use similar types of assessments
 Comprehensive program-level assessment
 Current program
 Competency based program
 Develop portfolio of mastery of competencies
Challenges along the way
 A lot of work!
 Aligning views of how the process should work
 Defining /determining competencies
 Comparability to current programs
 Efficiency of the support and instruction processes
 Will a CBE program actually benefit students?
Still to Do
 Refine competency definitions
 Develop rigorous assessments
 Complete map to traditional transcripts
 Test the administrative & support functions
 Improve all of our programs!
Questions?