COMPETENCY-BASED ONLINE MODELS: WASHINGTON COLLEGES’ BIG BREAKTHROUGH FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

Presentation for AACC Annual Convention

April 19, 2015

• Dr. Richard Cummins President, Columbia Basin College

• Connie Broughton Project Director, Competency-Based Education, Washington State Board of Community & Technical Colleges

• Tom Nielsen Vice President of Instruction, Bellevue College

• Jody Laflen Dean of the Institute for Business & Information Technology, Bellevue College

OUR STORY

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WHAT IS COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION (CBE)?

Measure student learning rather than time

Harness the power of technology for teaching and learning.

Computer-mediated instruction gives the ability to individualize learning for each student because each student learns at a different pace and comes to the content knowing different things; this is a fundamental requirement of competency-based education.

Source: Dr. Robert MendenhallPresident, Western Governors University

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WHAT IS COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION (CBE)?

Fundamentally change the faculty role

When faculty serve as lecturers, holding scheduled classes for a prescribed number of weeks, the instruction takes place at the lecturers' pace. For most students, this will be the wrong pace. Some will need to go more slowly; others will be able to move much faster.

Competency-based learning shifts the role of the faculty from that of "a sage on the stage" to a "guide on the side." Faculty members work with students, guiding learning, answering questions, leading discussions, and helping students synthesize and apply knowledge.

Source: Dr. Robert MendenhallPresident, Western Governors University

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WHAT IS COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION (CBE)?

Define competencies and develop valid, reliable assessments

The fundamental premise of competency-based education is that we define what students should know and be able to do, and they graduate when they have demonstrated their competency. This means that we have to define the competencies very clearly. Getting industry input is essential to make sure that we've identified relevant competencies.

Once the competencies are established, we need experts in assessment to ensure that we're measuring the right things.

Source: Dr. Robert MendenhallPresident, Western Governors University

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Institutions must move from a model of “time served” to a model of “stuff learned.”

Because increasingly, the world does not care what you know. You can Google everything. The world only cares, and will only pay for, what you can do with what you know. And, therefore, it will not pay for a C+ in chemistry, just because your college considers that a passing grade and is willing to give you a diploma that says so.

We’re moving to a more competency-based world where there will be less interest in how you acquired the competency and more demand to prove that you mastered the competency.

THOMAS FRIEDMAN: THE NEW YORK TIMES

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THE CBO STUDENT AUDIENCE – EDUCATION FOR A NEW ERA

Post-Recession Jobs Require a College Degree or Retraining

Post-recession, those with a four-year degree or higher were much less affected by the recession

Those with only a high school diploma or less lost a high number of jobs, with little recovery

Newly-created jobs require skill sets for which experienced workers need retraining

TRADITIONAL HIGHER ED BUSINESS MODEL IS BREAKING

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DISRUPTION = AFFORDABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY

Today

• Toyota

• Wal-Mart

• Dell

• Southwest Airlines

• Fidelity

• Canon

• Microsoft

• Oracle

• Cingular

• Apple iPod

• Straighterline.com

Yesterday• GM• Dept. Stores• Digital Eqpt.• Delta• JP Morgan• Xerox• IBM• Cullinet• AT&T• Sony DiskMan• Columbia Basin

College

HIGHER ED DECENTRALIZATION IS JUST BEGINNING

THE DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION

• Some key features:

•Disaggregates teaching, mentoring,and grading

•Costs ~$3,000 every six months, which includes textbooks

•Uses a year-round schedule for maximum student use

•No expensive capital costs, sports or extra-curricular activities

FIXED TIME, VARIABLE LEARNING

Deliver content to students Testing & assessment Progress to next grade, subject,or body of material

Receive results

COMPETENCY-BASED LEARNING

Deliver content to students Testing & assessment

Progress to next grade, subject,or body of material

Receive real-time interactive feedback

16Laitinen, A. (2012). Cracking the credit hour. New America Foundation. Retrieved from newamerica.net.

Innovation is the way to reach current “non-consumers” to get closer to that 67%

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CASE STUDIES IN PILOT CBE PROGRAMS

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The pilot was the Business Software Specialist 32- credit certificate. It was selected for competency-based online format because it:

Was an existing, high-demand certificate

Allowed innovation and experimentation with a new modality

Was a certificate that appealed to a broad audience

The certificate included industry (MOS) certification

Had the ability to offer a high-tech, high-touch program

IT-related credential (required by WGU consortium)

Already offered online

32 credits, 8 courses, add 5 industry certifications

Faculty interest and commitment

Expanded access to students who needed it

THE BEGINNING: BUSINESS SOFTWARE SPECIALIST CERTIFICATE AT BELLEVUE COLLEGE

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COMPETENCY-BASED ONLINE LEARNING AND PREPARATION

WGU workshops Statewide workgroup One-to-one with SMEs Faculty interest and commitment

https://www.etouches.com/ehome/120977

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INFRASTRUCTURE

Work WITH constraints of time-based systems:

Faculty

Navigator

Schedule

Curriculum

Students

Credentials/transcription

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DEVELOPING COURSES

Faculty engagement

Administrative support

Expert assistance: industry and academia

Identified certificate and course outcomes

Included objective and project-based assessments

Included industry certifications

BUSINESS SOFTWARE SPECIALIST CERTIFICATE

32 credits

8 courses

1 Orientation

5 Office

2 Web

5 Microsoft Office certifications

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ROLE OF THE NAVIGATOR The Navigator is the first point of contact for

the student

The Navigator supports student throughout the process

The Navigator is a key “high touch” feature to the program

The Navigator reviews the SmarterMeasure college and online readiness assessment tool results with the student to determine if CBE is the right fit for the student or if another program is a better fit

The student is admitted in the program and followed up bi-weekly or more, if necessary, by the Navigator, as well as the instructor

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PRE-ASSESSING STUDENT READINESS Students should be pre-assessed prior to enrolling in any CBE

program to ensure they have the essential skills to be successful in a self-paced, online learning environment.

Once a Program Navigator has determined that a student is ready for CBE learning, the student should be assessed on course and program outcomes to determine areas where coursework would be redundant and to properly place the student at the appropriate level in the program.

Program Navigators and faculty can implement weekly progress reports to ensure students are on track and making progress. Pacing charts can also be provided to students to provide realistic expectations as to the time they will need to complete coursework.

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RECRUITING CBE PROGRAMSThese techniques have been successful at recruiting 100+ students per quarter at Bellevue College since the 2014 pilot of the CBE Business Software Specialist certificate and have thus been effective for a more internal audience. Note placed in the College Catalog/College Website under all

CBE classes to distinguish them from more traditional online or on-ground course offerings. Provide a link to your CBE page and make sure that the Program Navigator’s contact information is there.

Posters and cards placed around campus

Information sessions to all campus advisors—workforce, international programs, etc.

Panel cards placed in external workforce agencies

Emailed students, made announcements in classes, created a website that is updated regularly

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Pre-test to assess prior learning

Practice, practice, practice

Post-test to 80%+

Comprehensive assessment

Certification assessment (if applicable)

Grades – A, B, FCompetency or No Competency

THE CBE COURSE

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WERE RETENTION AND GRADES BETTER WITH CBE?

AT BELLEVUE COLLEGE, THE ANSWER WAS… YES BY 7% AFTER INITIAL PILOT

86% of the CBO students passed with competency (108/126)

77% of the CBO students passed MOS certification (70/91) of those competent

14% of the CBO students did not complete the course (18/126)other colleges in the Gates grant had 20-25% non-completers

79% of the regular students passed with competency (149/189)

7% of the regular students passed but did not achieve competency (13/189)

13% of the regular students did not complete the course (15/189)

0% of the regular students took MOS certification as a required part of their

course (189/189)

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ONGOING ADJUSTMENTS FOR CBE SUCCESS Depending on the student population involved, be prepared to

make adjustments as a CBE program rolls out. At Bellevue College, some adjustments included:

1. Self-pacing Chart

2. Progress Report

3. Final Practice Exam, 80%+ for a B grade competency

Self-Pacing ChartStudents who enter the course with the level of experience listed below, can expect to complete the course in about the estimated guideline times listed.

Application Beginner Intermediate Advanced

Outlook 7-9 weeks 4-6 weeks 3-4 weeks

PowerPoint 7-9 weeks 4-6 weeks 3-4 weeks

Word 8-10 weeks 4-6 weeks 3-4 weeks

Excel 8-10 weeks 5-7 weeks 4-5 weeks

Access 8-10 weeks 5-7 weeks 4-5 weeks

Web Essentials 8-10 weeks 5-7 weeks 4-5 weeks

Webpage Authoring 9-11 weeks 6-8 weeks 5-6 weeks

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GETTING FACULTY ON BOARD FOR TRAINING, DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

Faculty buy-in: Presenting existing models and success stories to demonstrate the benefits of CBE can help to bring innovative faculty on board and reduce resistance.

Training should be provided for all interested faculty, as conversion from traditional online/on-ground course presentation to CBE is significant.

A small pilot may be the most effective way to start. Bellevue College and Columbia Basin College piloted with IT-based programs who had easier outcomes to modify and more tech-savvy faculty for buy-in.

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Identify Program/Credential Outcomes

If you don’t assess it, you can’t claim it as an outcome

Identify and eliminate redundancies so that each class has unique assessment criteria meeting the program outcomes

OVERALL CBE PROGRAM OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENTS

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THE STATEWIDE PILOT

Students must demonstrate mastery of explicit competencies to receive credit

Students receive constant support based on their individual learning needs

Learning, not time, is the determining factor

(Adapted from Christensen Institute)

COMPETENCY-BASED PROGRAM PILOT

A Business Transfer Degree Competency based Completely online Openly licensed Six-month term with multiple start dates Full time equivalent tuition ($2667 plus fees) Students work at their own pace, completing

as many credits as they are able during each term

Available at March 2015

THE GOAL

Columbia Basin College—lead Bellevue College Centralia College Everett Community College Olympic College Pierce College Ft. Steilacoom Pierce College Puyallup Tacoma Community College

PILOT COLLEGES

Reduced population growth in 15-19 year olds in the next 10 years

Increased growth in 20-44 year olds

Almost 1 million Washingtonians have some college, no degree

(SBCTC Legislative Presentation, Jan. 2014)

https://app.leg.wa.gov/CMD/Handler.ashx?MethodName=getdocumentcontent&documentId=EDi-X3rydFI&att=false

TARGET POPULATION

Students with some college or work experience

Advisors and support at each college

Completion coaches Hired by Columbia Basin for the pilot consortium

Disciplinary faculty who teach and assess Hired by Columbia Basin for the pilot consortium

THE ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESS

Share initial development costs

Share staffing to support students who work at

their own pace

Students belong to the college where they

enroll

All faculty for the pilot will be hired at Columbia

Basin College

WHY PILOT AS A SYSTEM?

Strong transfer agreements

Shared course system (WAOL)

Shared learning management system (Canvas)

Common elearning tools

Western eTutoring Consortium

AskWA

SYSTEM ASSETS

Four full-time faculty

English

Math

Accounting

Economics and Business Law

FIRST FACULTY COHORT

FIRST FACULTY COHORT

Six adjunct faculty

Sociology Political Science Geology Biology Public Speaking Art

COLUMBIA BASIN COLLEGE CBE BUSINESS PROGRAM: STUDENT PROCESS ENROLLED STUDENT – BUSINESS TRANSFER MAJOR

CHALLENGES WITH IMPLEMENTATION

Accreditation – Does your institution need to go through an approval process with your accrediting agency?

Faculty and staff – How will CBE delivery affect faculty contracts and hiring processes? Faculty and support staff involved in the development of a CBE program need time, resources and training to develop effective coursework and support tools.

Buy-in – A comprehensive CBE program involves all aspects of the traditional college operation. How will CBE delivery affect program, registration, advising, financial aid, and business office?

Bloom, Benjamin (1984). “The 2 Sigma Problem: The Search for Methods of Group Instruction as Effective as One-to-One Tutoring.” Educational Researcher, 13:6 (4-16)

CBEN http://www.cbenetwork.org/competency-based-education/

CAEL http://www.cael.org/what-we-do/competency-based-education

U of Wisconsin: http://flex.wisconsin.edu/

RESOURCES ON CBE

FIND OUT MORE

Blog: http://cbewa.org

Listserv: http://lists.ctc.edu/mailman/listinfo/cbe

QUESTIONS?

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Rich Cummins, President

Columbia Basin College

rcummins@columbiabasin.edu

Connie Broughton, Project Director Competency-Based Education

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

cbroughton@sbctc.edu http://cbewa.org

Tom Nielsen, Vice President of Instruction

Bellevue College

tom.nielsen@bellevuecollege.edu

Jody Laflen, Dean of the Institute for Business and Information Technology

Bellevue College

Jody.laflen@bellevuecollege.edu

http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/ibit/degrees/certificate/cbo/