Fourteen colleges and universities have
been chosen to participate in the Competency Based Education (CBE) Jumpstart
program,
an initiative that will allow students to earn degrees based on skills and
competencies they have learned through experience, rather than just through the
completion of credit-hour courses.
“Competency-based education is particularly
relevant for adults and nontraditional learners who bring learning from work
and life experiences into higher education,” said Philip Coyle,
provost at LeTourneau University, Longview, TX, one of the schools named to the
program. “With the rising costs of education, students expect education that is
flexible enough to meet their needs and provides them skills that are
immediately transferable into the workplace.”
The Council for Adult and Experiential
Learning (CAEL) is providing on-site training for faculty and staff at each participating
institution. CAEL also offers follow-up support through webinars on selected
topics and in-depth technical assistance for schools experiencing issues with
getting the program going.
“We are in the very beginning stages of
planning,” said Larry Frazier, dean of the school of arts at LeTourneau, which
is hoping to start the program in fall 2015. “We are just now starting and we
must think of how to reframe and shape the degree plans for CBE.”