This slide presentation was part of a Learnshop at Online Educa Berlin 2013. This was an interactive, discussion based session: Competency-based education addresses the rising cost of education and supports employability of graduates. It offers a path for adults to accelerate degree completion by acknowledging prior learning and work experience. Until recently, prior learning has meant transfer credit from a different educational institution. Although this is still relevant, it is expanding to include consideration of learning via open educational resources and MOOCs. Can these also be incorporated as part of an accredited degree program? Work in small groups with the expert panel in this dynamic and interactive Learnshop to grow your theoretical and practical understanding of competency-based higher education and develop thinking on implementation of this model in a European context.

1. Learnshop:
Developing quality-approved
accredited competency-based
programmes in European institutions
Online Educa Berlin
6 December 2013
11:45 – 13:15 (GLL53)
Margaret Korosec
University of Hull
Paul Bacsich
Sero Consulting & Matic Media

2. Overview
Salac, M. (2013). Framed [Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/

3. Overview
• Competency-based learning
• Western Governors University
• Regulation and Accreditation
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Federal Regulation
Equivalency
Accreditation
US Credit System
Online Programs
• Exploration for European Context - discussion

4. Competency
Competency-based learning* is..
• Students advance upon mastery;
• Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable
learning objectives that empower students;
• Assessment is meaningful and a positive learning
experience for students;
• Students receive timely, differentiated support based on
their individual learning needs;
• Learning outcomes emphasize competencies that
include application and creation of knowledge, along with
the development of important skills and dispositions.
* Based on a convening between iNACOL and CCSSO in 2011.

5. WGU
• Pioneer in competency-based education since 1997.
• Fully online, self-paced and asynchronous.
• Not-for-profit and affordable.
• Support from student and course mentors.
• Undergraduate and graduate degrees in teaching,
information technology, nursing and business.
• Uses credit hours and direct assessment (to be
discussed later).

6. WGU
• Students can accelerate upon successful course
completion.
• Courses offer external learning resources delivered
through the proprietary student portal.
• Formative assessment built into the learning
resources or portal.
• Summative performance and objective assessments
evaluate student competencies.

7. WGU
Although WGU is a well established competencybased institution, it is still based on the credit unit – or
equivalent competency unit.
This is only to highlight that this „disruptive‟ model was
and still is working within the previous framework of
US regulation before the more recent move to
acknowledge direct assessment as a viable
measurement.

8. Take a closer look
Claremont Colleges Digital Library (1965). Students In Class – Pitzer College. [Photo]. Retrieved from
http://www.flickr.com/

9. Regulation and
Accreditation
U.S. Perspective on:
• Federal Regulation
• Student Financial Aid
• Accreditation
• Regional and subject
• US Credit System
• Online Programs

10. Federal Regulation
According to the Middle States Commission on Higher
Education evidence of the following requirements and
expectations apply to accredited institutions:
- Academic study of sufficient content, breadth, and length;
- Levels of rigor appropriate to the programs or degrees offered;
- Statements of expected student learning outcomes;
- Direct evidence of student learning; and
- Assessment results that provide sufficient, convincing evidence that
students are achieving key institutional and program learning
outcomes.
http://www.msche.org/documents/Degree-and-Credit-Guidelines-062209-FINAL[1].pdf

11. Federal Regulation
Regarding competency-based programs:
- Considered „direct assessment program‟;
- Does not use credit or clock hours;
- Direct assessment of student learning or recognition of
direct assessment of student learning by others (such as
from other institutions or MOOCs);
- Assessment consistent with accreditation of the
institution;
- Institution establishes methodology to equate recognized
credit hours with direct assessment system.

12. Federal Regulation
Higher Education Act Title IV for financial aid eligibility:
“Competency-based approaches to education have
the potential for assuring the quality and extent of
learning, shortening the time to degree/certificate
completion, developing stackable credentials that ease
student transitions between school and work, and
reducing the overall cost of education for both careertechnical and degree programs. The Department plans
to collaborate with both accrediting agencies and the
higher education community to encourage the use of
this innovative approach…” 2
2
http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN1310.html

13. Federal Regulation on
Equivalency
• …an institution must establish a methodology to
reasonably equate the direct assessment program
(or the direct assessment portion of any program, as
applicable) to credit or clock hours for the purpose of
complying with applicable regulatory requirements.1
• The institution must provide a factual basis
satisfactory to the U.S. Secretary of Education for its
claim that the program or portion of the program is
equivalent to a specific number of credit or clock
hours.
1
http://www.msche.org/documents/Degree-and-Credit-Guidelines-062209-FINAL[1].pdf

14. Accreditation
• Quality assurance and quality improvement of
education accredited through the Council for Higher
Education Accreditation (CHEA).
• Private, non-profit national organization representing
more than 3,000 colleges and universities and over
60 national, regional and specialized accreditors.
• Nongovernmental and decentralized to largely
reflect the complexity of higher education in the
United States.

15. Accreditation
• The accreditors that are recognized in CHEA fall into
four categories: regional, national faith-related,
national career-related and programmatic
accreditors.
• Regional accreditation is generally viewed to be the
highest level of institutional accreditation with six
regional accreditors: Middle States, New England,
North Central, Northwest, Southern and Western.
• See http://www.chea.org/Directories/regional.asp

16. U.s. Credit system
Contact hour or clock hour. A unit of measure that represents an
hour of scheduled instruction given to students. Source: IPEDS
Credit or credit hour. A unit of measure representing the
equivalent of an hour (50 minutes) of instruction per week over
the entire term. It is applied toward the total number of credit
hours needed for completing the requirements of a degree,
diploma, certificate, or other award. Source: IPEDS
Credit hours are used by most U.S. higher education institutions
to calculate, record, and interpret the amount of earned
academic or training credits that students accumulate en route to
earning certifications, diplomas, degrees, and other qualifications.
Institutions typically use credit hours to record all types of
academic work including independent research and not just
taught courses. Source: USNEI

17. Online programs
The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)
falls under the career related accreditors within the
CHEA structure and is recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education. DETC accredits “distance
learning courses and programs that prepare
individuals to sit for independently-administered
certification examinations”.
Regionally accredited institutions offering face to face
and distance or online programs do not require
separate accreditation.

18. Exploration for European
context
Rufo. (2010). Bologna 6a.m. [Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/

19. ~
Margaret Korosec
Thank you
University of Hull
mdkorosec@gmail.com
~