7 competency-based higher ed programs

Post date: Nov 23, 2014 8:27:46 PM

Competency-based education is a sometimes-controversial model that has gained ground in recent months.

Advocates say competency-based ed puts the focus on students’ capabilities rather than how many hours per week they spend in the classroom. The benefit for employers, they say, is that prospective employees can be judged more easily, based on their demonstrated competencies rather than guessing how their grades will translate to real-world work. By one estimate, at least 200 institutions have competency-based education programs.

But the U.S. Department of Education has been slow to process the applications of colleges and universities seeking approval to receive federal financial aid for their competency-based programs. In September, an audit by the department’s Office of Inspector General found that the department was not adequately addressing the risks posed by competency-based programs, increasing the likelihood that schools would create programs that didn’t meet criteria to receive Title IV federal financial aid.

One risk, according to the auditor, was that colleges and universities would create programs that were just correspondence courses, without any meaningful interaction between students and faculty. Another risk was that students might receive Title IV federal funding for their life experience, without using the school’s learning resources.

As the Education Department sorts out its process and criteria for approving more competency-based programs

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