THE NEXT BIG THING: COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION SESSION 6: BUILDING STACKABLE CREDENTIALS AND A NATIONAL CREDENTIALING SYSTEM DR. DANIEL PHELAN, PRESIDENT JACKSON COLLEGE, MI
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A, B, C, D, & F Carnegie Unit 62 Credit Hours Associates Degree
ISSUES OF VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY
FORMIDABLE PRACTICES & ASSUMPTIONS An A represents a maximum level of knowledge in a course; A degree represents a common level of knowledge for that credential level; There is reliability and validity among grades, and among teachers; Lecture is the best way to transmit new knowledge; A 15/16 week semester is the best way to learn; Seat-time in the classroom is the best way to gain new knowledge; A transcript represents student learning; and Credit hour-based revenue model is a proven business model.
WHAT IS CBE? BENEFITS? CHALLENGES?
BROADLY SPEAKING, CBE IS PERSONALIZED LEARNING. a practical alternative to the traditional Carnegie Unit of a strictly seat-time-based reference for measuring educational attainment. create flexibility, allowing students to progress as they demonstrate mastery of content, regardless of time, place, or pace of learning. designed to acknowledge the student s prior learning and skill sets.
BROADLY SPEAKING, CBE can include online and blended learning, dual enrollment and early college high schools, project-based and community-based learning, and prior learning assessment. Demonstrated skills are recorded as competencies through direct assessment. Competencies align with either industry standards expected by employers, or knowledge-based standards expected by transfer institutions. Demonstration of competencies represent high-level learning (Bloom).
DEMAND FOR CBE 96% of faculty believe that their students are well prepared for the workplace; Only 11% of corporate leaders strongly believe colleges and universities are effectively preparing their graduates for the world of work. 87% said they believed that students should get credit for knowledge and skills acquired outside of the classroom (see: www.luminafoundation.org)
NATIONAL POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION COOPERATIVE S REPORT: DEFINING AND ASSESSING LEARNING Traits and characteristics - these are the intrinsic elements of individuals Skills, abilities, and knowledge - learning experiences through formal education, job experiences, and co-curricular elements. Competencies - knowledge, skills, abilities, are concentrated task performance. Demonstrations, the application of competencies.
BENEFITS OF CBE Students have a clearly defined learning outcomes; Provides for modular/stackable credentials; New value proposition for both student and employer comprised of learning objectives that provide demonstrable and portable skillsets. Allows for reduced cost and the time needed to earn credentials; and Enhanced student engagement due to personalized and relevant studies tailored to each student and their unique needs.
CBE BARRIERS & CHALLENGES Limited use currently; Time in development (i.e., employer and university work); Faculty support and buy-in; Technology needs; Personalization implications; Registrar translations with grades and transcripts; Union contract implications for load; Federal academic year requirements; Federal Title IV aid payment periods; aid recalculation; Direct assessment regulations equate to credit/clock hours; and Transfer issues.
COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION TODAY
CBE IS HERE TO STAY Time to evaluate our old system of grades which are becoming increasingly irrelevant; Important to develop a business model that allows for sustainability and monetization; Students see relevant and personalized education; and With approximately 36 million Americans who have started postsecondary education and didn t finish, CBE programs are emerging even more to help meet the need of the students we serve. Source: http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2014/07/11/competency-basedlearning-provides-perks-for-online-students
ROLE OF FACULTY IN CBE Increased need for faculty to work with the employing community; Clear, curricular competency linkages with transfer institutions are needed; Direct Assessment of student knowledge and learning; Serve as facilitators of learning and support content-related questioning; Directed study/learning; Adjunct faculty preparation; Professional development; More faculty needed with specialized roles; and Advising
DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR A SUCCESSFUL MODEL Involve faculty early in the process; Involve employers, advisory committees, and transfer IHEs early; The credential program must mirror valid competencies (broad & granular) and must be stackable; Students must be able to progress at their won pace with milestones along the way; Current learning resources available any time and place; Clearly mapped and documented competencies with valid direct and correlative assessments; Consideration of disaggregated faculty duties; and Incorporate technology.
GETTING TO GRANULARITY Create granular (i.e., distinct, finite), units of content, with multiple-levels of complexity that a learner can master at his/her own pace; Courses designed to ensure sufficient to clearly capture essential skills, but not so granular as to result in significant updating; Courses should be reviewed and revised regularly to reflect expectations of the current labor market, as well as transfer institution expectations; The modularization of competency-based learning provides for the construction of stackable credentials for a wide variety of industries.
COMPETENCY & DEGREES OF FREEDOM Mastery Proficiency Fluency Developing Competence
LANDSCAPE
DOCUMENTING CBE NAU http://www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/files/competency%20transcript%20draft%20v12.pdf
COLLEGE FOR AMERICA Founded in 2012 with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Addresses the skills gap faced by employers across the country; Takes an online competency-based approach in helping employers develop talent and build leadership; Employees can immediately apply skills to their jobs; and Curriculum is built to address competencies that commonly need development in frontline employees across high-demand industries. Source: http://www.ccdaily.com/pages/academic-programs/its-all-about-competencies.aspx
COLLEGE FOR AMERICA S EFFORTS All-You-Can-Learn Model with 6-month terms $1,250 per term or $2,500 per year Title IV Financial Aid Approval 120 AA/240 BA competencies build around Lumina s DQP
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS Institute for Transformational Learning: Personalized Credentials The CBE curriculum will involve multiple institutions around the state, reaching from high school, or even middle school, all the way to medical school. Mobile-First content designed to be delivered on mobile devices and will be adaptive, and respond to individual students. The goal is to customize the learning experience for students while also creating a path that is cross-institutional.
WGU Prove It philosophy of credit for prior learning; Each degree program is developed by a council of experts in the field who define "competencies" which form the curriculum; Objective and Performance Assessments; Four degree areas: business, information technology, teacher education and health care; Students are assigned a mentor, who helps with classes and helps them maintain progress; Six-month term students are scheduled for a full load of courses; Tuition is a flat-rate of $2,890; and Collaboration with community colleges
KENTUCKY COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM Worked in this space for many years Recently awarded $10MM Job-Driven Training Grant (TAA-CCCT) Expansion of their online Learn on Demand program; Creating a personalized competency-based learning system, called Enhancing Programs for IT Certification (EPIC). EPIC will create four major information technology (IT) pathways in computer and medical information curriculum that will lead to five degrees and 13 certificates, all of which will be developed in concert with regional and national employers.
PROJECTS SPONSORED BY THE LUMINA FOUNDATION CBE JUMP START The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) has selected 14 colleges across the country to receive: on-site ½ to full day training and assessment of faculty and staff; Follow up support with webinars and technical assistance. COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION NETWORK (C-BEN) A consortium of higher educational institutions with more experience in competency-based learning who are sharing challenges and solutions. Sources: http://www.cael.org/what-we-do/competency-based-education http://www.skilledup.com/blog/is-competency-based-education-finally-becoming-mainstream/
DESIGNING DEGREES A faculty-led process, between two and four-year institutions, within a state, wherein they identify what a student should know and be able to do in a chosen discipline; It involves creating a framework that establishes clear learning expectations for students in each subject area and sets forth clear responsibilities for institutions to invite all stakeholders to have input into the process. Designed to make higher education outcomes more transparent to students, employers, and parents, and to ensure the quality of degrees across institutions; A process of assessment of what skills are needed for occupations or degrees; Translate these profiles into learning outcomes and competencies & formulate in a relevant, curricular approach; Express in direct assessments, learning modules, and instruction; and Incorporate monitoring, evaluation, and improvement elements. The Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC) is facilitating implementation of the Tuning process in the U.S.
CSW Engaged in a multi-year initiative to increase the use and interoperability of quality CBE credentials across the country. Collaborated with many partners who share a commitment to build large-scale use of competency-based credentials by businesses, educators, employees, and students. Report: Making a Market for Competency-Based Credentials - analyzes credentialing work underway, explores promising practices, and suggests ideas for a solid credentialing system. Report: Competency-Based Credentials Case Studies provides a review of many of the approaches being undertaken in different industries, domestically, and abroad.
DEGREE QUALIFICATIONS PROFILE The Degree Qualifications Profile initiative, supported by the Lumina Foundation for Education, is a framework for illustrating what students should be expected to know and be able to do once they earn their postsecondary degrees. Five dimensions: Applied learning: used by students to demonstrate what they can do with what they know Intellectual skills: used by students to think critically and analytically about what they learn Specialized knowledge: the knowledge students demonstrate about their individual fields of study Broad knowledge: encompasses all learning in broad areas through multiple degree levels Civic learning: enables students to respond to social, environmental, and economic challenges
MANUFACTURING SKILLS CERTIFICATION SYSTEM A structure of stackable credentials indicating that workers have attained competencies for increasingly sophisticated levels of work across many areas of manufacturing; The essential elements of the Skills Certification System are: A collection of competencies that together defines a successful, high-performance manufacturing workforce; Industry-driven certifications that align with competencies; and Best-in-class curriculum to articulate into for-credit education pathways that will ensure students achieve the competencies necessary to achieve industry credentials. National Association of Manufacturers is partnered with the University of Phoenix, in which the association s competency-based curriculum and credentials will form the core of a bachelor s in management at the online university.
ANSI ACCREDITATION OF CERTIFICATE ISSUERS In 2009 ANSI started a program to certify organizations that provide education programs yielding one-year certificates to improve quality and rigor in this sector. The criteria being used to ensure quality emphasize agreed upon learning outcomes and competencies and maintain that: Learning outcomes are based on industry input and have market value The content taught is aligned with measureable learning objectives Assessment tools measure learning outcomes Infrastructure assures the continual success of the certificate program A process ensures the continuous improvement of the training In its initial rounds of certification, ANSI has accredited 30 organizations, mostly professional associations, as promoting quality certificate programs.
OTHER CBE LEADERS Some 200 IHEs currently working with CBE programs. University of Michigan University of Wisconsin Purdue University Capella University
CBE AT JACKSON COLLEGE
ADOS Associate Degree Outcomes ADO 1 Write clearly, concisely and intelligibly ADO 2 Speak clearly, concisely and intelligibly Learning Objectives Understand that the writing process has several stages that may be repeated. Use the process to respond to the rhetorical demands of purpose and audience and use evidence to support central ideas. Communicate effectively; use evidence to support central ideas and select the delivery methods best suited to purpose and audience. ADO 3 Demonstrate computational skills and mathematical reasoning Apply arithmetic skills and mathematical reasoning by solving problems, documenting process, interpreting results and evaluating the reasonableness of outcomes. ADO 4 Demonstrate scientific reasoning Demonstrate 1) quantitative and abstract reasoning in solving complex scientific and technological real-world problems, 2) knowledge of and ability to apply the scientific process, and 3) understanding of the connections between scientific concepts and technological developments, their impact on society, and the cultural and historical contexts in which they emerge.
COURSES FULFILLING ADOS ADO 1: WRITE CLEARLY, CONCISELY AND INTELLIGIBLY (3 CREDITS) ENG 131: WRITING EXPERIENCE ADO 2: SPEAK CLEARLY, CONCISELY AND INTELLIGIBLY MAY BE EMBEDDED IN COURSES IN PROGRAM OR MET BY TAKING ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: SPH 231: COMMUNICATIONS FUNDAMENTALS SPH 240: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION ADO 3: DEMONSTRATE COMPUTATIONAL SKILLS AND MATHEMATICAL REASONING (3-5 CREDITS) CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: MTH 120: BEGINNING ALGEBRA MTH 131: INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA MTH 133: INTRODUCTION TO PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS MTH 140: PRE-CALCULUS MTH 145: FINITE MATHEMATICS MTH 151: CALCULUS ADO 4: DEMONSTRATE SCIENTIFIC REASONING (4-5 CREDITS) CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: BIO 110: INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY BIO 131: GENERAL BIOLOGY
ADO 1: PROFICIENCY Complete this area when reporting assessment outcomes: Course Section: Term: Name: Date: Skills & Behaviors Proficient Assignment/Measures Success Criteria Student Outcomes Revisions/ Improvements To Course Process Demonstrates writing as a recursive process including pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and evaluating sources when used. # of # students met the success criteria. Purpose & Audience Organization & Development Addresses purpose effectively, engages audience, establishes credibility. Shows control of organization; develops and supports a central idea using abundant examples, comparisons and facts. # of # students met the success criteria. # of # students met the success criteria. Meaning/Understanding Demonstrates in writing a relationship between prior knowledge and new information. # of # students met the success criteria. Use of Sources & Documentation Integrates sources fluently and shows command of documentation conventions. # of # students met the success criteria. Language Employs correct grammar and mechanics with attention to word choice; sentences show variety and complexity. # of # students met the success criteria.
CBE AT JACKSON COLLEGE Establish required competencies; Repackaging; Incoming credentials assessment; Direct Assessment Model; Granular Competency transcript; Independent study assignments; Project-based work; All courses with documented competencies and assessments in began in fall 2014 and full course-level implementation in fall 17. Developing a methodology to monetize this undertaking creating a new, sustainable business model.
JACKSON COLLEGE S DIRECTION Time as a proxy for learning Faculty centered Achievement defines learning Student centered Teaching model Engagement model 15 week semesters OE/OE Transcript Credential of skills/knowledge ADOs Granular competencies Broad assessment of knowledge Captures prior & new knowledge Grades and grade levels Competency & Mastery
CBE at Jackson College Jackson Preparatory and Early College, a competency-based public charter school located on JC s campus opened this fall The yearly calendar will align with Jackson College: Three 60-day instructional terms Three 10-day instructional interim sessions The academic year allows for more instructional days and instructional hours than state minimums: State of Michigan: 1,098 hours and 170 days JPEC: 1,470 hours (+372 hours) & 210 days (+40 days). http://www.jacksonpec.org/index.html
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
THOUGHTS It s easier to build a new building on an empty lot than retrofit an existing one. This has the potential to be a major disruptive innovation. Faculty must be involved from the beginning, as does industry, & other IHEs. Occupational programs are a good place to start. It will take time and the process will be untidy at times. Collaborate - There is help all around. We are all still learning. Get started now.
PROPOSITION: COMMUNITY COLLEGES AS CREDENTIALERS OF LEARNING
DISCUSSION