Understanding Competency-Based
Education and Assessment
JumpStart Workshop
August 8. 2014
MNSCU
Snapshot of Today’s Agenda
Please refer to your Workbook
for the detailed agenda
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Introduction to CBE
Deep Dive into CBE and CBA
Competency Frameworks
Group Discussion and Summary
•2
Housekeeping
• Please use the “Parking Lot” easel pad
to park your questions as we go along.
We will attempt to answer all of your
questions by the end of today’s
workshop.
• Breaks
• Restrooms
• Refreshments
•3
Quick Warm-Up!
• “The American public and senior
administrators at U.S. colleges and
universities overwhelmingly agree that
crisis
higher education is in
,
according to a new poll, but they
fundamentally disagree over how to fix it
and even what the main purpose of
higher education is.”
Time, Oct 18, 2012
•4
We are encouraged…
Sources: Lumina Foundation/Gallup Poll 2013 and
The 2013 Inside Higher Ed Survey of College & University Chief Academic
Officers report
•5
Public opinion is not encouraging.
Sources:
•Lumina Foundation/Gallup Poll 2013
•The 2013 Inside Higher Ed Survey of College & University Chief
Academic Officers report
•6
Feeling the heat now?
Sources:
•Lumina Foundation/Gallup Poll 2013
•The 2013 Inside Higher Ed Survey of College &
University Chief Academic Officers report
•7
Hitting a point home…
“In an era when college degrees are
becoming simultaneously more
important and more expensive,
students and taxpayers can no longer
afford to pay for time and little
evidence of learning.”
• Amy Laitinen, “Cracking the Credit Hour” September 2012, New
America Foundation and Education Sector
•8
What is all of the fuss about?
• National concern about rising costs and
accountability in higher education
• Employers’ changing work force needs
• National push for degree completion
• New innovations and technology
• Globalization, interdependent world
• What does a degree mean?
•9
CAEL Research and PLA
• 48-institution study of PLA
and academic outcomes
(funded by Lumina
Foundation)
• 62,475 total adult students in
sample (adult = age 25 or
older)
• PLA increases graduation
rates and persistence;
decreases time to degree
completion
Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success, March 2010
•10
CAEL Research on PLA
PLA Increases Graduation Rates
Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success, March 2010
•11
PLA and CBE Converge
Prior Learning Assessment Refresher:
PLA is the process for recognizing college-level
learning acquired outside of the traditional
college classroom .
Students must demonstrate that they have
achieved the same learning outcomes and/or
competencies as a student who passes the
course.
•12
College-Level Learning
College level learning typically refers to
learning that is:
– other than general knowledge;
– combines practical and theoretical knowledge in ways
appropriate to a given field;
– of a certain level of breadth and/or depth and complexity;
– is represented in existing college curricula
Adult Learners and PLA
Application or
Demonstration
Experiential
learning, on-thejob learning,
employer training,
free courses, PD
Theory
May have minimal or
no understanding of the
theories behind what
they do.
•14
PLA /CBE are Learner-Centric
• Successful PLA and CBE students earn
credit for what they know and can do,
significantly saving them time and
money.
•15
CBE Confusion
• Group Exercise #1 –
Participants at each table will work together
for 10 minutes to list their top two issues,
comments or questions about CBE.
• Please appoint a spokesperson for your group.
•16
•17
Why Competencies?
Quality
– Clearly define what graduates are
expected to know and do
– Communicate these expectations to
students, employers and other
stakeholders. (Provides transparency)
Some say an important reason to do it is to
reduce the cost of a degree
•18
Where Do Competencies Fit?
Competencies
Application Able to apply
learning through evaluation,
validation, and critical change.
Program Outcomes
Understanding - Able to Analyze and
Synthesize learnings
Course Outcomes
Comprehension - Able to demonstrate the
understanding of the facts, concepts, terms or events
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge - Able to learn materials (how to) by recalling facts,
terms, or concepts and relating them to events or other learning.
Sub Competencies
Learning - Common Practices or understandings - Reading, Writing, Math,
Experiences
•19
Another View . . . .
Program
Outcomes
* Why To
Program
Outcomes
* Why To
Course Outcomes
Skills, Knowledge,
Learning,
Understanding
* How To
•20
Historical Perspective
1980s
1990s
2000s
Today
Excelsior College
Online Learning
Growing realization
of changing
demographics
Free content is everywhere
Not an “instructional
program,” because seat
time is not equal to CHs
Marginalized by many,
but popular with
students
Let’s do it, but let’s put it in
continuing education
Collective gasp as
SNHU receives
permission for CBE
•21
CBE Definitions vary by institution
Personalized
learning
Progress
measured by
mastery
Show what you know
and can do
Well-defined
learning
Prove it!
CBE
Assessment is critical
Prior learning counts
Supported with
resources and coaching
Time is not a factor,
but a variable
•22
Changing the Formula
• Today’s degree = # of successfully
completed courses and credit hours
allocated across requirements as
determined by the faculty
• CBE Degree = Evidence of what
students know and can do as defined
by the faculty and validated through
assessment
•23
Changing the Formula
Time
X
Learning
Fixed
Variable
•24
Many Faculty Roles
• Determining the learning outcomes
(competencies, skills, knowledge sets)
that students must achieve in order to
earn the credential (micro, certificate, or
degree).
• Determining how best to demonstrate
the learning
• Designing the assessments/rubrics
• Ensuring link with K12, employers,
receiving colleges
•25
Many Faculty Roles
• Locating the learning resources,
materials, texts, exercises, etc.
• Mentoring, coaching students
• Determining how competencies fit
throughout the curriculum, levels of
competencies (proficiency to mastery),
overlap/reinforcement of
competencies
• Teaching/Assessing
•26
More Considerations
• Who does what? New roles for
advisors, faculty, support staff and how
do we pay them?
• New workloads – how do we provide
guidance without breaking the bank?
How can we use technology?
• Delivery mechanisms: All online or
hybrid; for adults or for all students?
•27
Side-by-Side Comparison
Traditional
PURE CBE
• Time based, credit hours
• Courses ends with a grade
(based on final exam or
project)
• Variability in how grades are
determined
• Tends to be more
institutionally-centric
(systems)
• Independent of time (D.A.)
• Focus is on outcomes, not
inputs
• Assessment designed to best
determine competency
• Personalized, self-paced
• Leverages students’ previous
knowledge for faster
progression
•28
•29
National Efforts
• Lumina
– Public Agenda – Learning Communities and
CBEN
– CBE Jumpstart
– New America Foundation/Amy Laitinen –
collaboration with DoE on policy
– DQP
• Gates
– Community College Consulting
– Breakthrough Model Incubator
•30
C-BEN Participants
•
•
•
•
•
•
Antioch U
Argosy U
Brandman U
Broward College
Capella U
Charter Oak State
College
• City U of Seattle
•
•
•
•
•
•
DePaul U
Excelsior College
Lipscomb U
Northern Arizona U
Salt Lake CC
Southern New
Hampshire U
•31
C-BEN Participants
• Texas Higher Ed
Coordinating Board
(Texas A&M UCommerce and
South Texas
College)
• U of Maine at
Presque Isle
• U of Maryland
University College
• Westminster College
• Kentucky Community
& Technical College
System
• University of
Wisconsin-Extension
•32
BMI Participants
• Antioch University
• Austin CC
• Central Wyoming
College
• Empire State
College–SUNY
• Excelsior College
• Kentucky Council on
Postsecondary
Ed/Commonwealth
College
• Paul Smith’s
College
• University of
MarylandUniversity College
• University of New
England
• Cuyahoga
Community College
– 2015
•33
Jumpstart Participants- Rd 1
• Kalamazoo Valley
Community College
• Los Angeles Trade
Technical College
• The New School
• Golden Gate
University
• LeTourneau
University
• IUPUI
• Valdosta State
University
• Minnesota State
Colleges and
University System
•34
Jumpstart Participants- Rd 2
•
•
•
•
•
•
Community College of Philadelphia
Davenport University
Pace University
University of Toledo
Granite State College
Missouri Department of Higher
Education/Missouri Community
College Association
•35
Exercise #2
• Reflect upon your institution’s CBE practices
compared to what we’ve covered so far.
Please use the worksheet in you workbook to
organize your thoughts.
• Select a partner and discuss what you’ve
written.
•36
Adult Learner Brush-up
• Exercise #3You as the adult learner
•37
Competency-Based Education
BREAK
Please be sure to
list your questions on the
“Parking Lot” easel sheet.
•38
Part 2
Deep Dive into
CBE and
CBA
•39
Defining Competencies
• Beyond learning outcomes
• Not just skills and knowledge, but also
the ability to apply learning in different
situations
• Specific in terms of levels of
performance
• Objectively measured
• Holistic
•40
Everyone has something to say.
Employers
K12
Defined
Comps
Innovators
Colleges
and
Professional
Certifications
•41
K12 – CBE Definition
• Students advance upon mastery.
• žCompetencies include explicit, measurable, transferable
learning objectives that empower students.
• žAssessment is meaningful and a positive learning
experience for students.
• žStudents receive timely, differentiated support
based on their individual learning needs.
• žLearning outcomes emphasize competencies that
include application and creation of knowledge, along with
the development of important skills and dispositions.
•42
More from K12 Literature
• Students progress at own pace
(transparent
system for tracking and reporting progress)
• Flexible, learner-centric use of time
(beyond
standard school day)
• Explicit methods for providing additional
support or opportunities for learning
• Graduation upon demonstration of mastery
of a comprehensive list of competencies
• Courses designed around set of
competencies (aligned with Common Core State Standards)
•43
More from K12 Literature
• “Credit” awarded upon mastery of
competencies (based upon summative assessments)
• Teachers skilled at facilitating different learning
environments
• Frequent formative assessments (real time feedback for
teachers and students)
• Development of robust approaches to
supporting students as they move through
competencies (especially for those who progress more slowly)
•44
Employers
“What you know and can do
with what you know is more
important than the college you
attended.”
(Feb. 2014) Gallup, “The 2013 Lumina Study of
the American Public’s Opinion on Higher Education
and U.S. Business Leaders Poll on Higher Education:
WHAT AMERICA NEEDS TO KNOW
ABOUT HIGHER EDUCATION REDESIGN”
•45
Employers
http://youtu.be/NlfYCzUMfuY
1:12 video
http://www.careeronestop.org/Compete
ncyModel/competencymodels/building-blocks-model.aspx
Note: Right Click, “open hyperlink”
•46
Generic Building Blocks Competency Model
•47
Innovators
• Degreed.com – “Jailbreaking the Degree”
“Show Off Everything You Know
Your Degreed profile is the new answer to the question, “Tell
me about your education?” With Degreed you can track all of
your academic, professional, and lifelong learning. Get credit
for everything you’ve learned—all of it! www.degreed.com
•48
Learn More
Innovators: Badges
Mozilla Open Badges
•
Badges are digital
representations of
skills and
achievements
• Each one represents
learning that has
occurred
2012: 98 issuers
2013: 1700 issuers
1,000 badges
400,000 badges
•49
Learn More
Innovators: Badges
Smarterer.com
“Smarterer scores your skills on an 800-point scale
Similar to the GMAT or SAT we use an 800 point scale to represent skill
level. Our test questions adapt to your level, and your score reflects how
you rank against other people who have taken the same skill test. Grades
like "A", "B" and "C" are so elementary school…”
•50
Purdue Passport
•51
Innovators
• Balloon – Catalog of 15,000 Tech Courses is
just the start
“Data-storage provider EMC Corp. EMC +0.81% helped
Balloon's creators define curriculum paths and job
descriptions, and posted 10 of its own courses—ranging
from free one-day exercises to week-long, $5,000
training— on the platform.”
2014, March 4, OnlineWSJ.com
•52
Group Exercise #4
• In-depth look at an existing program
•53
Colleges and Universities
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpM1IbE
o-Jw
•
•
3:04 minutes
Right click, open link
•54
UW Flexible Option
University of Wisconsin System Offering
• Flexible.
No classes, no commutes. No set semesters or study times. The Flexible Option
lets you start when you want, the first of any month, and work toward your degree online, on your own
time, when and where your schedule allows.
• Personalized. The Flexible Option recognizes and rewards prior
learning by giving you the opportunity to pass assessments using knowledge you already
have. You study only the material you need to master and never spend time or money
revisiting things you already know. In addition, an Academic Success Coach will work with
you to customize your learning plan based on your knowledge and goals.
• Self-paced. Take assessments whenever you are ready. Practice first to
make sure. As soon as you prove mastery, you receive credit and move on, without having
to wait for the next lesson or semester. Move quickly through material you know or take
more time if you need it.
•
Note: This information is from Flex.Wisconsin.edu.
•55
UW Flexible Option
• Supportive. Receive personalized mentoring and advising from an
Academic Success Coach who will help you prepare for assessments and point you to
learning resources you need to succeed, such as textbooks, web pages, and even free
online resources offered by other universities.
• Skills-based. You make progress by passing assessments that show you
have mastered the skills essential to your degree—not by accumulating credit hours,
either in the classroom or online.
• Respected. The Flexible Option builds on the UW System’s reputation for
quality and innovation. By measuring and assessing your mastery of competencies, the
Flexible Option provides proof to employers that you have the skills and knowledge your
field requires.
• Affordable. Instead of paying by course or by credit, the Flexible Option
lets you pay a flat rate for a subscription period of your choice. If you are highly
motivated and have significant experience related to your degree, you may be able to
accelerate your progress and shorten your time to graduation, saving time and money.
•
Note: This information is from Flex.Wisconsin.edu.
•56
UW Flexible Option
• UW Colleges are offering:
– Associate of Arts & Sciences Degree*
• UW Milwaukee is offering:
– RN to BSN
– Biomedical Sciences Diagnostic Imaging
Degree Completion Program
– Bachelor in Information Science and
Technology
– Business & Technical Communications
Certificate
*Fulfills Gen Ed requirements.
•57
UW Flexible Option
3-Month Subscription Model
– Academic Success Coach – points to all materials
for prep, mentors, helps through processes (even
financial aid)
Subscription model levels:
1. “All you can learn” so you can complete as many
competency sets as possible
2. Focus on a single competency set (for a slower,
less expensive pace)
A competency set is a grouping of competencies that together make
up the skills and knowledge in a specific education area
•58
Excelsior College
• Over 40 UEXCEL Exams
– Some students have completed degrees entirely
with exams
• Associate Degree, Nursing
– Exams based, with online courses also available
– Clinical Performance in Nursing Examination
– Nursing graduates achieve the same or higher
NCLEX scores as traditional nursing college
graduates.
•59
Western Governors University
• Each degree program is developed by a
council of experts in the field who define
"competencies" students need to possess to
graduate. These competencies form the
curriculum. This combination of expertise in
both industry knowledge and
academics guarantees your degree will be
relevant in your chosen field. WGU Website
•
http://www.wgu.edu/why_WGU/competency_based_approach - 3 minute video
•60
WGU Competency Examples
• Accounting Domain: The student understands the
nature, purpose, and scope of the current U.S. tax system.
• Business Law & Ethics Domain: The graduate can
analyze business situations or practices to determine
whether an organization meets U.S. regulatory
requirements
• Organizational Behavior and Leadership Domain:
The graduate can analyze leadership theories, the
appropriate behavior of the leader.
See full set of competencies at http://www.wgu.edu/program/500
•61
Southern New Hampshire University
College for America Program
Students must demonstrate120 Competencies for AA Degree in General
Studies available through employer-sponsored programs only.
Foundational
Knowledge
Personal and Social
Skills
Content
Knowledge
Communication Skills
Personal Effectiveness
Science, Society, and
Culture
Creative and Critical
Thinking
Ethics and Social
Responsibility
Elective
Quantitative Skills
Teamwork and
Collaboration
Digital Fluency and
Information Literacy
•62
SNHU College for America
• Students demonstrate mastery of
competencies by completing tasks
– Project-based learning
– Authentic, engaging and relevant
– Three task levels, 20 task families
• Students can revise and resubmit until
they demonstrate mastery
• Students will also take third-party,
nationally normed assessments
•63
SNHU College for America
• 20 Task Families
– 5 to 8 competencies per family
• Three Task Levels
• Each Task comes complete with:
– Overview
– Instructions
– Resources for skill-building
– Rubric
•64
SNHU College for America
• Rubrics are tied to specific deliverables
(such as papers, projects,
spreadsheets) designed to
demonstrate the competency.
• Each Rubric has multiple criteria (the
specific learning outcomes) on which
the student are rated:
YES
Not Yet
•65
Lipscomb University’s Approach
• Uses behavioral assessments (including
simulations) similar to what employers
use in making high stakes hiring
decisions.
• First university to use the
Polaris® competency model system.
• CORE = Customized, Outcomes-Based,
Relevant, Evaluation
•66
Lipscomb University – CORE
• Degree program: CPS in
Organizational Leadership
• 15 relevant competencies are assessed
(like a pre-test)
• Students benefit from a Customized
Development Plan for target
competencies (for personalized
learning).
• Still uses a course structure
•67
Lipscomb eCredentials
• The Lipscomb
program is
designed to
appeal to both
degree-seeking
and those adults
seeking eCredentials
•68
Polaris® Competency Model
•69
Polaris Competency Example
• Competency: Active Listening
– Persistent Pattern of Behavior
– Associated with effective performance
– Resulting in a positive organizational
consequence:
direct eye contact, verbal and non-verbal
affirmations (nodding, “uh huh’s”),
paraphrasing, smiles, summarizing, open probe
questions, etc.
•70
Competency-Based Education
BREAK
Please be sure to
list your questions on the
“Parking Lot” easel sheet.
•71
Competency-Based Assessment
• What are we assessing?
Defined competency
with appropriately designed and validated
assessment/rubric
• How will students demonstrate the
learning or mastery of a competency?
• Do we use a binary approach or add levels
of proficiency?
• Who will assess it?
• How do we help the student try again?
•72
Competency-Based Assessment
• Direct Assessment Model
– Such as College for America
• Totally divorced from the credit hour and seat
time.
• Competencies established first, then built out
how they could be attained
• Hybrid Models
– Such as WGU
• 1 Competency Unit = 1 Credit Hour
• Still have course organization
•73
Competency-Based Assessments
• Formative and summative assessments
– How can the student check his/her progress? Practice
quiz? Low stakes assignments?
• Performance-based assessments,
narratives/papers, simulations, projects,
capstones
• Multiple Choice or Standardized Tests
• How will the assessments be administered?
• Are we seeking competency or mastery?
•74
Assessing Competencies
SAMPLE COMPETENCIES
• Can use logic, reasoning and analysis to
address a basic business problem
• Can write a business memo
• Can use a spreadsheet to perform
calculations
• Can synthesize material from multiple
sources
• Can evaluate information and its sources
critically
•75
Example of Assessment
OVERVIEW: You will use your critical thinking skills
to weigh two options and recommend one. You will
summarize your thinking in a formal memo
RESOURCES:
Students are provided with links online to potential
vendor proposals, as well as advertising brochures
and the results of an employee opinion survey. They
are also given links to resources to related to writing
business memos and using spreadsheets.
•76
Example of Assessment
DIRECTIONS:
Your boss has asked you to write a formal memo
evaluating two potential vendors for a new vending
machine for the employee lounge. Recommend
one vendor to your boss and justify your reasoning.
Read and analyze the relevant material and perform
any necessary calculations. Use correct spelling
and grammar and spell-check your work before
submitting it.
•77
Example Assessment Rubric
CRITERIA
YES
NOT
YET
Calculations are accurate
Tone and word choice are appropriate for audience
Options are effectively compared and contrasted
Writing is clear and easy to understand
Sentences and paragraphs are connected logically
Reasoning is supported by evidence
Distinguishes between fact and opinion
Sound reasoning is used to analyze problem and offer
solution
•78
CBE Assessments
• Consideration of how competencies
build in complexity over a program in
order to develop/prove mastery
• Similar to PLA, the assessments are
wide-ranging – from standardized
tests, writing papers, hands-on
assignments, to projects and
capstones.
• Will faculty roles be disaggregated?
•79
Student Preparation for Assessments
• Increased use of OER, variety of
resources to help appeal to learning
styles
• Finding ways to demonstrate hands-on
skills
• Tracking system for student, faculty,
and institution
• Encouraging student persistence
•80
Competency-Based Education
BREAK
Please be sure to
list your questions on the
“Parking Lot” easel sheet.
•81
Frameworks
• Employer incorporated (such as WGU);
some use professional certifications (IT)
as part of CBE, AMA Institute, etc.
• 21st Century Skills
• Lumina Degree Qualifications Profile
(DQP)
• Faculty-determined competencies
mapped across the credential
• ePortfolios, links to student work
•82
21st Century Skills
See www.p21.org for more information
•83
DQP 2.0 Framework
Attempts to define what students need to know and be able to do within
disciplines and according to level of degree.
•84
DQP 2.0 Framework Draft
•85
LEAP Framework
• Liberal Education and America’s Promise
essential learning outcomes by AAC&U.
– Now being used by WICHE states involved its
Interstate Passport Initiative
• California, North Dakota, Oregon, and Utah
• The initiative focuses on LEAP learning outcomes,
consistent assessment, and tracking student
success for transfer.
•86
VALUE* Rubrics
*Valid Assessment of Learning in
Undergraduate Education
-Assessment rubrics for 16 learning outcomes
derived from LEAP
• http://www.aacu.org/value/rubrics/index.cfm
•87
Competency-Based Education
BREAK
Please be sure to
list your questions on the
“Parking Lot” on the easel sheet.
•88
Academic Consideration
• Where to start?
A new course/micro credential
(incremental), program, certificate, degree or institutional
shift? PLA? Model: Hybrid or D.A.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Faculty roles?
Faculty governance and organization?
Framework? Existing, new, or combination?
Working with community, employers?
Ensuring we fulfill our mission
Transfer and articulation
•89
Tracking Competencies
1. Consideration of how to represent
competencies on transcripts is a challenge,
particularly for financial aid students.
2. Considering adults are mobile, how will
institutions receiving your transcripts
know how to accept the competencies?
3. Consider links to student work products,
ePortfolio.
•90
Tracking Competencies
•91
Tracking Competencies -NAU
•92
Tracking Competencies - NAU
•93
Tracking Competencies - WGU
Note :
No
Grades
•94
Administrative Considerations
• Infrastructure concerns: SIS
• How will we produce a transcript?
• Business model: Will the subscription model
work for us? Or, should we keep with our current
tuition structure and credit hours?
• Permissions: DOE, Regional Accrediting
Body, State
• Resources for planning: such as providing
release time for faculty, applying for grants, etc.
•95
Difficult Questions
• Do we need to fundamentally re-think
everything we do with competency-based
education?
• Or, will this align with our work already
accomplished in defining learning
outcomes?
Decision point:
Direct Assessment or Hybrid?
•96
Decision Point
Direct Assessment
Hybrid
• Use a framework for
competencies to award
a certificate or degree
• Varying faculty roles
• Self-paced, possibly
subscription model
• Student accesses
student learning
resources, as opposed
to a course, then
assessed.
• Multiple pathways to the
credential including
– Defined competencies for
specific programs, majors
– Teaching model is unchanged
– Incorporating PLA
• More traditional faculty
roles
• Conversion of competencies
to credit hours and/or
course titles
•97
Burning Issues
•
•
•
•
Financial Aid, satisfactory student progress
Substantive Change Notification
If we build it, will they enroll?
Parking Lot Questions and Discussion
•98
CBE Summary Points
• CBE aspires to:
– integrate competencies P21
– better integrate employer competencies and
changing needs
– use technology to make more resources
available to students
– reduce costs while being student-centric,
enabling students to progress at their own pace
•99
CBE Summary Points
– reinforce competencies across the degree and
disciplines
– personalize learning to leverage prior learning
toward competencies so students can focus on
new learning
– ensure stakeholders know what graduates know
and can do, addressing questions regarding the
validity of the credential/degree
•100
Questions????????????
Dorothy Wax
dmwax@cael.org
215-731-7168
•101