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Now that you have a basic definition of Competency-Based Education and how it works, let’s talk about how you can structure your CBE program. No two CBE programs or institutions are alike, so when it comes to determining your CBE structure, consider what works best for your institution. You can customize your approach to fit into your existing structure or do a complete overhaul and create something new. This post will guide you through a few questions to consider as you determine your CBE structure.
How will you handle credits, transcripts, courses, and academic terms?
Because of CBE’s perspective on Student Progress, Time Spent in the Classroom, Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction Focus, CBE programs and institutions often have a different structure than traditional education. Typically, there are two approaches that CBE programs and institutions use to handle credits, transcripts, courses, and academic terms:
- The Course/Credit-Based Approach
- The Direct Assessment Approach
The table below illustrates the differences between these two approaches.
CBE models are highly customizable, so this table illustrates some features you could include in the CBE approach you choose, but they aren’t set in stone. You could adopt a course/credit-based approach but include self-paced elements or a direct-assessment approach with terms or semesters. Or you could create a hybrid approach that includes elements from both course/credit-based and direct assessment approaches.
What Delivery Mode Will You Use?
Many people believe that transitioning to CBE means changing your institution or program to a fully online, self-paced learning model. However, you can design your CBE program to fit into various instructional settings and modalities (e.g., face-to-face, hybrid, online). The table below presents a few possibilities for what your CBE program might look like in different instructional settings.
You can mix and match items on this table to fit your institution or program’s specific needs. For example, centralized assessments and holistic support teams do not only exist in online or hybrid programs but could be present in face-to-face learning environments. There also may be elements you want to include in your CBE program that aren’t even present here. Use this table to brainstorm how your modality might impact various aspects of the student experience.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve thought about the type of CBE program you want to institute and how you’ll deliver your program, let’s discuss how these programs are developed. Our next post will walk you through the CBE design process.
