What Is Competency-Based Learning?

What Is Competency-Based Learning?

Imagine being able to receive college credit for the skills and training you've gained throughout your career or the opportunity to test out of course material that you have already mastered. Consider the flexibility and value of a program that allows you to earn your degree at your own pace and focuses on developing the real-world skills you'll need to land a job after graduation. Competency-based education (CBE) offers these advantages and more to degree seekers from many different backgrounds. Use the guide below to find out more about CBE and see if it might be the right fit for you.

Competency-based learning is a system of schooling where students acquire college credit through demonstrations of what they know and can do rather than by typical coursework comprised of assignments, projects and exams. CBE offers the ability to earn credit for prior work and life experience, to advance through a course of study at your own pace, and to apply your knowledge in ways that are directly tied to skills currently in demand by employers.

While assessments and projects are still very much a part of this system, what differentiates competency-based learning from traditional programs is the system's flexible pacing, task-oriented assessments of learning and direct connections to work and industry.

Examples of available degree programs include:

• Bachelor of Science: Accounting
• Bachelor of Science: Business Administration
• Bachelor of Science: General Information Technology
• Master of Business Administration: Health Care Management

Competency-Based Learning vs Traditional Learning

Competency-based programs work by awarding college credit to students demonstrating they have mastered a particular set of skills or “competencies” specified by their courses of study rather than through the typical credit-hour unit. Mastery is demonstrated by a “direct” or “authentic” assessment, which could be a project, portfolio, simulation or a typical examination.

For students who already have certain skills and knowledge acquired through work or life experience, some assessments may require little preparation to successfully complete, while assessments covering unfamiliar concepts and tasks will require more time and effort.

CBE programs are typically structured as either a subscription service or time-based format.
For a subscription-based service, students pay a flat fee each term in exchange for access to all of the learning resources and assessments in a degree program's course of study, then renew their subscription until they have completed all the coursework. For a time-based format, the school predetermines the number of competencies students should master within a certain time frame.

Competency-Based Learning Pros & Cons

PROS

• Pacing and Flexibility
  The most important selling point of a competency-based learning program is the flexibility it provides. Students are primarily awarded credit by what they can demonstrate they know rather than by completing courses on a particular schedule. Students with a higher level of prior knowledge and expertise can complete their programs faster than in a program with a rigid course of study with a fixed timeline.
• Prior Knowledge and Experience
  Students in competency-based programs can often leverage what they already know to complete familiar work tasks more quickly. In some programs, students can opt out of these tasks altogether by way of a summative assessment.
• Application
  The work and resources in a competency-based program are frequently aligned to industry standards and career environments, which makes for a highly relevant and applicable learning experience.

CONS

• Cost
  While there is a high potential for cost savings with a competency-based program, the inverse is true for students who cannot commit a significant amount of time to their studies. For subscription-based programs in particular, it is possible for a student to pay thousands of dollars for a subscription fee and make very little progress toward completing a course of study.
• Credit Requirements
  Most programs require a large number of transfer credits to enroll, particularly in general education coursework. Students who are just starting a course of study or college in general may not be eligible.
• Format
  Not everyone is suited to the flexibility a competency-based education affords. Students in a CBE program should be self-directed learners who are comfortable with a high level of independence and can manage and organize their time while juggling other obligations.

Who Benefits from a Competency Program?

• Military Service Members
  For service members in particular, this model affords them the ability to translate whatever training they may have received into credit for applicable competencies in their respective programs of study. The more training a service member has received, the more he or she stands to gain in applying that training toward a related degree.
• Working Adults
  As with many online schools in general, working adults and those with family obligations benefit from the ability to make competency-based programs fit a schedule that works for them. Moreover, working adults can directly apply whatever relevant skills and competencies they've acquired in the workplace to their courses of study.
• Returning to School
  For students who are returning to school and who already have substantial transfer credits, a competency-based program represents one of the fastest pathways to obtaining a degree.
• Career-Oriented
  Competency-based programs are primarily focused on a specific career path or a field of occupations, so it is best suited to a student who is either aiming to work in a particular career or advance in their current career.

Competency-Based Programs Details

Program Costs

The potential cost and savings of an online competency-based program can vary depending on the type of degree one is pursuing and the school itself, much like a traditional program. While competency-based programs are still relatively new on the scene of higher education, a recent study on competency-based education from Forbes concluded that on the whole, competency-based programs are less expensive than their traditional counterparts, with subscription-based programs offering the greatest potential for cost savings.

Competency-Based Bachelor's Degree Spotlight

10 Things to Look for in a Competency-Based Program

While competency-based online education is being hyped in some circles as the future of higher education, there are potential drawbacks. With this in mind, there are a number of things to look for when selecting a quality competency-based program.

The U.S. Department of Education Weighs in on Competency-Based Education

In 2013, a “Dear Colleague” letter of guidance was issued regarding competency-based education by the Office of Postsecondary Education, a branch of the U.S. Department of Education. Key points and requirements from the letter included:

• “An institution that wishes to award Federal Student Aid (FSA) funds in a program using direct assessment must apply for approval from the Department…
• “An institution must demonstrate that its institutional accrediting agency has reviewed and approved its offering of the direct assessment program.
• If the institution plans to make changes to the program that would affect any of the information provided in its application to add a direct assessment program, it must obtain prior approval from the Department by reapplying.”

In essence, while the U.S. federal government officially recognizes schools with competency-based programs as valid institutions of higher learning, there are strict controls over how these schools are run to maintain their eligibility to offer Federal Student Aid.

Additional Resources