Abstract
In the current fast-paced environment, learners want flexibility in timing and content as they seek relevant credentials to be successful. For institutions of higher education (IHEs) to be relevant, they must address the educational needs of learners through a strategy rooted in innovation and agility. The UW Flexible Option (Flex) is the University of Wisconsin System's implementation of competency-based education (CBE). University of Wisconsin-Parkside (UWP) has implemented the Flex Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a certificate in Project Management that allows learners to master competencies and achieve degree completion at their own pace. This chapter describes UWP's journey, discusses a strategic framework for serving different types of learners, and suggests pathways to implement this framework through a CBE/Flex lens. It offers guidance on how IHEs can plan for the future by focusing on competencies, researching potential markets via the Ansoff Matrix, and implementing successful educational pathways for learners through partnerships.
TopCompetency-Based Education
The U.S. Department of Education (2021) describes CBE as,
transitioning away from seat time, in favor of a structure that creates flexibility, allows students to progress as they demonstrate mastery of academic content, regardless of time, place, or pace of learning. Competency-based strategies provide flexibility in the way that credit can be earned or awarded, and provide students with personalized learning opportunities.
While this definition primarily focuses on flexibility and personalized learning from a student perspective, an operational definition of CBE from an institutional perspective is:
CBE is defined as an outcome-based approach to education that incorporates modes of instructional delivery and assessment efforts designed to evaluate mastery of learning by students through their demonstration of the knowledge, attitudes, values, skills, and behaviors required for the degree sought. (Gervais, 2016, p. 99)
In other words, students advance in CBE when they master the competencies associated with a class regardless of the time it takes to master these competencies, while institutions design competencies, content, and support structures for students to succeed. The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM, 2021) defines competency as:
A cluster of highly interrelated attributes, including knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that give rise to the behaviors needed to perform a given job effectively. Competencies can be either technical or behavioral. Technical competencies reflect the knowledge required to perform a specific role. Behavioral competencies describe the KSAs that facilitate the application of technical knowledge to job-related behavior.
CBE in the UW System was motivated in 2011 by discussions between then-Governor Scott Walker and then-UW System President Kevin Reilly. What would become UW Extended Campus, then a division of UW-Extension, began working with multiple campuses to build a portfolio of CBE programs under the umbrella, UW Flexible Option (Flex) (Specht-Boardman, et al., 2021). A primary motivation for Flex was to increase the percentage of Wisconsin adults who hold a bachelor’s degree.
Flex programs are attractive for adult, non-traditional students for several reasons: (1) Flexible starts: Students can start any month; (2) Affordable, relatively low tuition: A tuition of $2250 per subscription period (12 weeks) allows students to register for and complete as many credits as they are capable of completing; (3) Flexible timeline: Student learning can progress at their own pace and they can “bookmark” their work by stopping after any subscription period and return in the future with no penalties (as would be the case when taking an incomplete); (4) Authentic curriculum: curriculum aligned with practical, hands-on work that students are expected to experience during their careers; (5) Specialized accreditation for certain programs such as Flex BSBA and curricular alignment with recognized industry credentials such as Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Project Management Professional (PMP).
Faculty in the UW Flexible Option take on a unique but recognizable role as they design curricula, assess student learning, and support students in their education journey. Flex faculty work can be summarized in the following principles:
- 1.
Work with stakeholders to develop program-level competencies, course-level competencies, and outcomes that demonstrate those competencies.
- 2.
Design authentic assessments and exercises used to demonstrate mastery of the competencies.
- 3.
Create and curate the online content used by students to acquire knowledge and skills required for the competencies.
- 4.
Work with students as they have questions about the content.
- 5.
Assess student submissions to determine whether they have mastered the competencies.
Students do not work with faculty alone. They are surrounded by a team, including student success coaches that guide them throughout the program providing course advising, strategies for learning, as well as work-life balance counseling.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA): The assessment of an individual’s learning that may have occurred outside the normal academic setting (e.g., training programs, work experience) in order to award possible college credit.
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): Experts who provide guidance for designing and teaching competencies in academic and non-credit educational programs.
Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification: One specific certification offered by PMI.
Competency Connector: An assessment that students complete to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) in one or more competencies for the purpose of enhancing student learning and awarding credit for a degree/credential requirement.
BSBA: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program offered by UW-Parkside with support from UW Extended Campus in the UW Flexible Option format.
Stackable Certificate/Credential Model: A model in which learners can complete a degree program by completing and stacking certificates to reach the required number of credits. Stackable credentials allow learners to seek credit for learning from other avenues and entities beyond the certificates offered by an institution.
Online Program Manager (OPM): Service providers, external to an institution, that work with institutions of higher education to help launch and recruit new online academic programs or support existing online programs.
Ansoff Matrix: A matrix used to help firms define growth opportunities through classifying strategies based on two dimensions: Markets (existing or new markets) and Products (existing or new products).
Digital Badge: A verifiable electronic certificate that attests to the competencies mastered by a learner. Digital badges are typically associated with micro-credentials and awarded for a limited number of competencies. Digital badges are designed so that they are easy to share on various social media platforms.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): See the term competency.
Micro-Credential: A credential obtained by a learner for a limited set of competencies often through a non-credit course of short duration.
UW Flexible Option (Flex): The University of Wisconsin System’s implementation of competency-based education.
Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM): A professional organization that provides resources, educational opportunities, and certifications for individuals and organizations to learn human resource management competencies.
PLA Connector: A specific implementation of the competency connector and is defined as an artifact that students use to demonstrate their mastery of a competency for PLA purposes.
Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Institutions that offer education beyond the post-secondary level. These include institutions that offer technical, professional as well as other traditional programs.
Higher Learning Commission (HLC): A regional accrediting body that accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the United States.
Professional and Continuing Education (PCE): Divisions at universities that offer upskilling and training opportunities to professionals; much of the training is offered via non-credit programs.
Competency-Based Education (CBE): An outcome-based approach to education that prioritizes a student’s mastery of competencies over time spent in a class. Students complete a class when they have demonstrated mastery of all competencies in the class.
AACSB: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business – International. The leading institute for accrediting business programs at IHEs.
Competency: The underlying knowledge, skills, and abilities that support decision making, problem solving, and success in performing a task. Competencies may be technical or behavioral.