Beyond Seat-Time: Competency-Based Programs as Coin of the

Realm

April 11, 2013Michael J. Offerman

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Goal

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• Substantially increase American higher education attainment rates– Can CBE help?

Concerns

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• Historically learning has been formal, local and time based– Can we move beyond time (Beyond Seat-Time)?– Can we certify learning that is informal and/or

achieved outside the institution?

Concerns

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• Broader issues of concern to policy-makers and public:– Rising costs of HE– Many students fail to complete – Questions whether students are learning what is

intended

Why Now?

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• CBE may help address cost, improve completion and focus on learning outcomes

• Combination of CBE, technology and analytics may yield– Adaptive approaches– Predictive models in support of student

progression and learning– Efficiencies in costs (price) and time to degree

Beyond Seat-Time

•Public and Private Non-Profit•Competency-based degree programs•Terminology•Concept-based•Assessment- or outcomes-based•Personalized•Other

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Beyond Seat-Time•Considerable activity•About thirty institutions•Aggregation institutions•New programs within institutions or entirely new institutions (Portmont)•Changing entire institution

•CC through Research/Doctoral•All six regional accrediting agencies

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Requests from CBE Providers

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• Community• Alternative back-office software and

processes• Policies that support CBE and free it from the

limitations of time-based credit hour assumptions– The total reliance on credit hour for FA has

exacerbated the back-office challenges

Federal Rules

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• Credit Hour Rules– WGU and others– Force fit CBE into rules

• Direct Assessment Rule (SNHU)– “In lieu of credit or clock hours”– Still “tethered” to time– Alternative or Replacement?

• Opportunity: FA based on learning, not time

Beyond Seat-Time Examples

•Institution Examples:•Charter Oak State College•Northern Arizona University•University of Toledo

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Beyond Seat-Time Examples•BA/S Program examples:•DePaul U. School for New Learning •50 competencies across 5 domain areas

•Westminster College•75 competencies in 20 cross-functional projects (observational rubrics)

•Southern New Hampshire University•College for America-120 competencies, 3 tiers, $2500/year or lesshttp://www.insidehighered.com/views/2013/01/31/competency-based-education-and-regional-accreditation#ixzz2JYygjbAI

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Definition of Competency

•Competency: “combinations of skills, abilities and knowledge needed to perform a task in a specific context”

“Defining and assessing learning: Exploring competency-based initiatives” NCES, 2002

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Relevance of Time?

•Students learn at different paces•So, time should be variable rather than fixed•Students should be able to demonstrate mastery when ready•Credit hour never intended as we use it•“Cracking the Credit Hour”, Amy Laitinen

•http://newamerica.net/publications/policy/cracking_the_credit_hour

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Curriculum Development

•Rather than a syllabus as first step,•Identify resources and activities to deliver the competencies

“A ‘disruptive’ look at competency-based education: How the innovative use of technology will transform the college experience” Louis Soares, 2012

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Competency-Based Difference

•Backwards curriculum planning—start with what expect at conclusion of program: what competencies must student demonstrate to justify degree?•Outcomes = what does student know and can do

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Notes from the Field

•Faculty Role Changes?•Varied from limited (adapt to different approach) to considerable•Disaggregation •Instructors teach •Coaches/mentors + teachers + course/curriculum+evaluators

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Notes from the Field

•Infrastructure/Back-Office Ops•Transcripts•Many use two—one “traditional” and one more portfolio-like

•Transfers in and out•Translations and cross-walk to credits

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Anticipated Advantages for Students

•Coherent, planned and focused programs•Personalized & efficient pathways to completion•Faster time to degree (more PLA +)•Lower costs & prices (OER, etc.)

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Anticipated Advantages

•Individualized pacing•Applied assessments•Pre-assessment •Embedded at granular levels•Enable both adaptive and predictive models•Rubrics help build confidence

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Anticipated Advantages

•Choice with mix of local, non-local, formal, informal learning •DIY-U•Find best learning opportunity at lowest cost•Does not matter where, when, how if demonstrate mastery of competency

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Seat-Time=Barriers

•Faculty reactions mixed•Did this in 1970’s and failed•Many engage even though difficult

•Faculty are not a barrier

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Seat-Time=Barriers

•Barriers •Federal--Department of Education•FA based on time versus learning

•Accreditation agencies•State•Institution

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Seat-Time=Progress

•Dear Colleague Letter (3/19/2013)•Deputy Assistant Secretary Bergeron•“The Department plans to collaborate with both accrediting agencies and the higher education community to encourage the use of this innovative approach when appropriate . . .”

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Seat-Time=Progress

•April 22-23 Convening•Department •Regional accrediting agencies•Some state SHEEOs•Several institutions ready to move to direct assessment

•Dialogue to inform CBE policy

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Capella Experience

• Primarily graduate level, totally online, adults 25 and older, for-profit

• Arrived in 2001 and learned that we had informed HLC that we were “outcomes based”– What does that mean?– What outcomes justify a bachelor’s, master’s,

doctoral degree?

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Outcomes Based• Do we know what outcomes we expect for

each degree we offer?• Are we teaching to those outcomes?• Are we assessing for those outcomes?• Are students actually demonstrating that

they are achieving the outcomes?• At what proficiency level?• Do students understand expectations and

program designs?

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Results

• Led to a long-term, continuing effort to focus on assessment of competencies and program-level learning outcomes

• Focus on a disciplined curriculum approach – Not a “cookie cutter” but coherent– Not at all easy but embraced as faculty came to

understand and results were shared externally– Desired student enablement/empowerment

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Results

• Competency emphasis• Clarity about expectations/proficiency levels• Engagement with employers• Program level learning outcomes plans• Curriculum maps• Rubrics• Fully Embedded Assessment Model (FEAM)• Academic analytics

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FEAM=Coherence

• Relate all learning assessments to program level learning outcomes (PLLO)

• Each course designed to deliver to PLLO• Able to pull assessment results to evaluate

individual student performance and performance of teaching modules

• Led to predictive modeling, clear maps about expectations/sequencing, changed behavior

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FEAM=Behavior Changes

• Student behavior– From attention on aggregate grades– To specific (granular) scores on competencies

and PLLO

• Faculty behavior– From alignment perspective (what teach aligns

with PLLO)– To a measurement perspective (is what is being

taught actually delivering PLLO?)

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FEAM• Years of intense discussion and decisions

about outcomes, rubrics, assessments, PLLO• Translation of very different languages

(faculty and assessment specialists and quality analysts)

• Tools to assist faculty• Program maps visualize curricula and are

better than course catalogue and graduation requirements

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New Roles in Support of Faculty

• SME (faculty) focuses on articulation of required competencies

• Curriculum specialists• Assessment specialists• Quality analysts• Editors• Interactive media designers• Project managers

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Faculty Reaction• 95% of faculty report the FEAM process has

resulted in perceived improvement of their teaching effectiveness

• Report that they use data to self-assess– “With FEAM data I can ensure my own

consistency and reliability in scoring learners’ work. I can also better identify where I need to develop supplementary materials for more difficult assignments or concepts . . .”

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Internal Challenges

• Initially very challenging– Assured faculty that they controlled curricula,

outcomes identification, rubrics development, etc.

– At same time, introduced curriculum specialists– Took a long time (think years) and demanded

patience and persistence– Department by department, school by school– Ultimately, faculty led us beyond what we

expected

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Reflection

• Interestingly, as look back, faculty became truly motivated and ultimately committed only after we began sharing results externally

• Saw prospective students make enrollment decisions based on program level learning outcomes results

• Accepted that this was about students and not some fearsome faculty assessment

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External Impact

• Inside the Academy– Desire to share in order to learn (and did)– Higher Learning Commission • Academic Quality Improvement Project/Program

(AQIP)• Based on Baldridge Award principles• Continuous, intense interaction with agency

– National award from CHEA

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External Impact

• Beyond the Academy– Opportunities to explain approach and work with

external stakeholders, including critics in Congress and some states

– Led to work with other adult-serving, online colleges and universities on an effort to provide information about expectations, outcomes of degree offerings to prospective students

– Transparency by Design

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Background

• Twenty years in public universities– University of Wisconsin Learning Innovations

• Ten years at Capella University• Foundations (policy focused)– “Common Metrics”: B&M Gates– “Beyond Seat Time”: Lumina, Gates, Joyce,

Kresge– “Breakthrough Models Incubator”• Do not speak for the foundations

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American Higher Education•Reputations=proxies for learning•Teaching/learning=formal/local•Financial aid tied to credit hour/time •Faculty centric•Transfer limitations•Enterprise systems

•Rising Costs Drive up Price39Offerman

American Higher Education

•Fundamental Changes on Horizon•Example:•Competency-Based Programs•Direct Assessment•Different structures, packaging, delivery•Recognize not only prior but also emergent and informal learning

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Beyond Seat-Time

•Can we use learning rather than time or other proxies for •Measuring and assuring relative quality of programs and institutions•Eligibility and distribution of financial aids•Rewarding learning rather than time spent

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Coin of the Realm

•Might this reduce time to degree/cost?•Better recognition of prior and emergent learning•Self-pacing•Lower delivery costs•Improved analytics/predictive models

•“Coin of the Realm”42Offerman

My Experience with CBE

•Competency-based at Capella•Negotiator for Negotiated Rulemaking on Accreditation•Beyond seat-time•What is happening?

•Particular interest in direct assessment

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