The student experience: How competency-based education providers serve students

The rise of competency-based educaton (CBE) has redefined what college looks like for a growing number of students. The basic idea underlying CBE is simple: programs award credit based on demonstrated student competencies rather than on the amount of time a student has spent in a given course. Recent advances in technology, including online courses, computer adaptive education, interactive tutoring and mentoring, and the analysis of big data, have only added to CBE’s potential. But CBE models have dramatic implications for how schools serve students, and those changes can affect student success and scalability. Unfortunately, we still do not clearly understand how students actually experience education in a CBE model—that is, the day-to-day process of learning, assessment, and progression.
Some of the most prominent CBE providers have designed their programs to meet students’ needs--and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) has published a study examining CBE models in comparison to the familiar phases of the traditional college experience at four-year institutions: recruiting students, starting a program, earning credits, and interacting with others. More...