What’s New in Competency-Based Higher Education?

News

• The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) has named Western Governors University (WGU) as the recipient of its 2017 Institutional Service Award. The award, which recognizes institutions that have provided outstanding programs and services for adult learners, will be presented at the 2017 CAEL Conference Nov. 15-17 in San Diego.
• This EdSurge article calls for higher education to adapt to micro-learning.
• This Education Week article describes how teachers can make competency-based education the new normal.

Federal Policy

The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) issued 13 recommendations for reauthorizing the federal Higher Education Act (HEA) including: Fully authorize competency-based education and allow student-centered models of higher education. See this press release for more, or read this Inside Higher Ed article.

Equity

• New postsecondary models have been springing up on the fringes of higher education over the past few years. Can these new options help solve higher education’s equity issues? Read here.
• Stephanie Malia Krauss of Jobs for the Future wrote in C-BEN, How Competency-Based Education May Help Reduce Our Nation’s Toughest Inequities.

New Resource

The Lumina Foundation released State Policy Considerations for Aligning State Competency-Based Education Efforts Across Education Levels in Arizona.

Upcoming Event

The inaugural Fast Track to Success: Best Practices in CBE Design and Delivery conference in Austin, Texas, on June 2, 2017, was a phenomenal success. To sustain the momentum and to expand CBE across Texas — and beyond, there will be a second conference in Austin, on April 5 and 6, 2018. We are planning on approximately 300 attendees for this two-day conference.

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