Abstract
The author of this chapter, Ward Wesolowski, served as the Dean of Operations in the Center of Competency-Based Education (CBE) at the University of Phoenix. In this role, a substantial amount of experimentation was conducted to uncover insights relating to technology, faculty roles, curriculum, policy, and most importantly, the student experience in CBE. In an endeavor as complicated as creating CBE offerings at a large institution of higher education, there was only one thing that was certain: failure. At University of Phoenix, it was important to fail fast, learn, improve, and try again. This iterative approach allowed Ward and his team to quickly see what worked and what did not, so improvement efforts could be focused on the elements requiring the most attention. Valuable insights and recommendations are contained in this chapter for anyone aspiring to produce CBE offerings for students in higher education.
Changes in Modern Higher Education and the Use of CBE
As the University of Phoenix was growing in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, a significant shift in the demographics of higher education students was taking place. As McDonnel describes, “The characteristics of the traditional college student today have shifted. Non-traditional college students are now the new majority” (2017, para. 1). In fact, “70 percent of Americans who have pursued a bachelor’s degree qualify as non-traditional students” (McDonnel, 2017, para. 4). Non-traditional students are typically defined as adult learners, meaning they are at least 25 years of age and employed in a full-time occupation. As such, adult learners in higher education require flexibility and support above and beyond the levels that traditional universities provide. In response, the University of Phoenix was continually searching for fresh new ideas and innovations such as competency-based education (CBE).
It is important to note that CBE is not an entirely new concept. According to Morcke, Dornan, and Eika, “The basic idea of emphasizing educational objectives had been given its definitive form by Tyler as early as 1949” (2013, p. 847). A handful of institutions have offered CBE programs for decades at modest scale, yet scaling this instructional approach has been nearly impossible because there was not technology robust enough to support it. However, the changing higher education student demographic, the vast adoption and acceptance of online learning along with innovations of the disaggregated faculty model, and an increased ability to capture critical data via innovative learning management systems are all notable factors that are contributing to a CBE renaissance.
This convergence of factors has led to significant opportunities for institutions of higher education to meet student academic needs on a different level and University of Phoenix is uniquely positioned for CBE offerings given its history serving non-traditional students. “The rise of competency-based education has redefined what college looks like for a growing number of students (Baker, 2015, p. ii). The CBE model is compelling for University of Phoenix students for two primary reasons. First, students can leverage practical experience from work to accelerate necessary competency development and demonstration. Second, University of Phoenix students are time constrained. Allowing students to accelerate progress by leveraging previous experience to demonstrate competency will reduce the time it takes to earn a credential. There is also a more direct connection between a well-designed CBE program and desired career skills – another important benefit from the perspective of a typical University of Phoenix student. According to Corcoran and McNeal (2016, para. 1), “Competency-Based learning has received widespread recognition as a way to better align higher education to careers. Rather than measuring ‘seat time’ for traditional credit hours, colleges and universities are tracking student progress on demonstrated capabilities.” As an innovative, non-traditional institution of higher education designed to meet the need of working adults, Competency-Based Education (CBE) was a natural fit.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Competency-Based Education: The term used to describe a non-traditional approach taken by a growing number of colleges and universities that, in contrast to seat time, progresses students based on demonstrations of mastery rather than on time spent in class/study.
Practitioner Faculty: Serves as course instructor; keeps office hours and is available to help students through content-related questions; grades competency assessments; posts and manages course discussions; and hosts synchronous learning opportunities or lectures.
Disaggregated Faculty Model: Refers to the approach taken by an institution in regard to assignment of faculty duties. A traditional faculty model assigns faculty members with handling all tasks associated with conduct of their courses such as writing objectives, developing, and delivering course content, constructing assessment items, administering and grading assessments, advising students, and conducting prior learning assessments. In contrast, the University of Phoenix faculty model disaggregates these tasks among various faculty.
Flexibility: When used in regard to adult students in higher education, this term generally refers to variety in class times and student autonomy in choosing when to engage in coursework. Most commonly used in reference to asynchronous online course delivery which offers students the ability to complete coursework any time they choose (“24/7”) so long as they complete a lesson or course within a required timeframe.
Faculty Model: Refers to the approach taken by an institution in regard to faculty hiring. A traditional faculty model engages full time academics and/or researchers as faculty members. In contrast, the University of Phoenix faculty model typically engages faculty members who are not fulltime academics but, rather, hold full-time jobs in the fields they teach.
Seat Time: The term commonly used to describe the traditional approach taken by most institutions of higher education for measuring student progression through a course of study, i.e., students sit in a course for 2.5 hours per week for a total of 16 weeks to pass a class.
Non-Traditional Students: Adult learners, at least 25 years of age, and employed full-time.
Faculty Mentor: Serves as a student’s primary point of contact; provides guidance and has regular and substantive contact with students. Stays assigned to student throughout a student’s program of study.
Evaluator: To avoid bias, exclusively responsible for grading competency assessments without having any student interaction.