Dr. Aric Krause, UMUC Dr. Matthew Prineas, UMUC Traditional Programs, with courses based on stand-alone subjects, may not take advantage of all a service member/veteran (SM/V) learned to DO in their service. It’s not that the SM/V didn’t learn, its that what was learned may not translate easily to the constructs of the traditional academic program. ◦ The problem is program design, not the SM/V. Is there an alternative way to design programs that naturally invoke SM/V prior learning and experience more purposefully? Definition: programs in which students progress toward a degree as they demonstrate mastery of new academic content (Kelchen, 2015, Landscape of Competency-based Education: Enrollments, Demographics, and Affordability, American Enterprise Institute) Definition REVISED: programs in which students learn to demonstrate mastery of a program’s domain/field and related abilities. FIXED: What a student must know and be able to do in order to graduate. VARIABLE: time on task, path, overall time. Unit of analysis is the program, not the course. Focuses on behaviors/abilities as well as the content/knowledge. Requires a total refocus on the end, away from the particular means. 1. Articulate what it is a student must know and be able to do when they graduate The articulation is not a list of “must understands”, but instead is about what the student can do with their knowledge. Validate with employers, accrediting organizations, professional standards. How are traditional programs built? Domain changes over time Abilities Abilities apply continually Domain A graduate should be able to DO all of the Abilities, deftly, within the context of their field/profession (Domain). Traditionally-designed programs tend to focus primarily on domain. ◦ The Reality: no matter how much time we spend on domain today, it will change – sometimes very quickly. If we instead focus equally on abilities, such as how to learn and analyze, wherever the student or domain goes, the student has the capacity to keep up and move forward. Domain Abilities Detect an Intrusion Learn, Analyze, Evaluate Classify a Threat Research, Analyze, Evaluate, Prioritize Respond to a Threat Plan, Implement, Lead Offensive/Defensive Strategy Plan, Implement, Communicate, Evaluate, innovate Find a threat Evaluate contexts, Analyze Develop Policy Facilitate, communicate, analyze, create Abilities Learn, Analyze, Evaluate, Research, Plan, Implement, Communicate, Contextualize, Create, Innovate, Facilitate, Prioritize A student only achieves mastery of these things through carefully planned iterative repetition, over multiple domain contexts. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Ability Design carefully planned iterative repetition that moves student toward mastery of the domain and the abilities What a student must be able to DO to graduate; fixed Where are student starts is a variable Learning Ability Courses become about the student practicing their abilities within the domain, over and over in a very intentional manner Learning Course 1 Detect an Intrusion Course 2 Classify a Threat Course 3 Respond to a Threat Course 4 Offensive/Defensive Strategy Course 5 Find a threat Course 6 Develop Policy Courses are no longer subjectspecific; they are about doing what is contextually relevant within the profession or domain. Each experience in each course: ◦ Carefully mapped to program competencies; ◦ Builds precisely on what was done prior; ◦ Requires higher-order thinking, analysis, creation or innovation; ◦ Contributes to the journey from where the student started to where they need to be; and ◦ Contributes to their portfolio of careerrelevant experiences. CB programs naturally lend themselves to career-relevant contexts – real-world scenarios and exercises – allowing the student to build experience in the field. Faculty Scholar/practitioners help students build their mastery at wielding the domain in these career-relevant contexts. Bringing these important abilities to the forefront of the academic program may more purposefully invoke what the SM/V does in their service. Abilities Learn, Analyze, Evaluate, Research, Plan, Implement, Communicate, Contextualize, Create, Innovate, Facilitate, Prioritize They may or may not be getting “credits” up front, but they can move faster and more purposefully by using the capacities they’ve built in their service. The SM/V transitioning to a civilian career gets domain and ability mastery AND relevant experience in the field. Refocuses the purpose and path of a degree to be laser focused on the end: the mastery required in a program. How a student gets there (where/how they learn) is tertiary. SM/V Can use the abilities they’ve mastered in their service to accelerate in ways not necessarily present in traditionally designed programs. Transitioning all of its programs (undergrad and grad) to the CB approach ◦ Working to validate what a student must know and be able to do with employers, accrediting and professional organizations. ◦ Designing career-relevant learning demonstrations, in which students learn and demonstrate mastery. Traditional Approach UMUC’s Approach Subject specific courses Learning in real-world cross-functional applications. Get a passing grade Achieve mastery through application Faculty as teachers – “sage on the stage” Faculty Practitioners as mentors, helping “guide on the side” Tests, quizzes, papers Real-world learning activities that mirror the profession. General understanding/ knowledge recall Contextual iterative application – creation, synthesis Theory & concepts Abilities & Domain built through application Traditional program design Program goals continuously updated and aligned with employers, standards bodies, professional organizations, Thank You!