Western Governors University Vision of Competency Based Learning

Western Governors UniversityVision of Competency Based Learning

WGU History

Created 15 years ago by 19 governors

Grand experimental site for ED Non-profit, private, online university Competency Based learning from the

“opening bell” Fully eligible for Title IV funds from

“opening bell”

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WGU History Continued

Nonterm initially Switched to nonstandard term Terms are 6 month in length Students required to attend fulltime Geared towards adult learners

◊ Must come to WGU with prior college experience

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Competency Based – How We Make it Work

Algorithm◊ We developed an algorithm that equates

our competencies into credit hours◊ Approved by ED◊ Allows us to follow ‘traditional’ credit

hour model for awarding and disbursing Title IV aid

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Algorithm

Objective Unit Taxonomy1. Know2. Know How3. Show How4. Do5. Be (dispositional)

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Algorithm Cont.

CU Algorithm:◊ Determine cognitive match for each objective

in a subdomain;◊ Assign the weight as listed in Objective Unit

Taxonomy – prior slide;◊ Sum the values above for the subdomain in

question;◊ Multiply the sum above by 0.0424; then, ◊ Round the result to the nearest whole number◊ This is the number of CUs to be assigned

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How WGU Makes It Work Cont.

Industry standards for competencies Very active advisory boards Biometrics and other identity

verification standards

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University of Wisconsin System

Flexible Option: An Operational Review

Committee Structure

Operations: Working Groups

Admissions Advising Registrar Bursar Financial Aid

Operations: Short-term Planning

Financial Aid◊ Flex Program Financial Aid Eligibility◊ Processing Structure-Drawing Admissions/WI residency data-3 Month Term-Credit assignment-Establishing FT/PT and Class Level at beginning of term-Calculate Award-Disbursement of aid-Evaluate academic progress at end of term(Pass/Fail/Incomplete)-FA Academic Progress Evaluation-Return of Title IV Funds◊ Evaluate Resource Requirements◊ Define Short Term vs. Long Term Plan and begin Long Term

Planning◊ Begin drawing out Transition Plan from UWM to UWEX

Operations: Long-term Planning

Considerations for the future◊ Scalability◊ Iterative design process—will likely need

to make adjustments◊ Will have a suite of IT systems

• Student Information System, Customer Relationship Management, Student Dashboard

• Need for IT collaboration and exchange

Operations: Long-term Planning

◊ Setup, Processing and Workload• Central database = central module

processing?• Local access = daily processing on two

systems?• Degree conferral MUST be at campus level

◊ Integration with External Reporting Systems

What’s Done and What’s Next

Higher Learning Commission approval

DOE approvals Assessment development Curation of content

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Contact Information

Jamie MaloneDepartment of EducationJamie.Malone@ed.gov312.730.1528

Sue AllmonWestern Governors UniversitySue.allmon@wgu.edu877.435.7948 ext 5821

Dr. Jane Hojan-ClarkUniversity of Wisconsin Milwaukeejhojan@uwm.edu414.229.6300

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QUESTIONS?