Competency Based Education Inspires Faculty to Explore Student Learning

Last year, Russell Bush shared his interest in Competency Based Education in his poster presentation at the Master Teacher Program Year 3 Poster Fair.  Competency Based Education is an approach to teaching and learning that is making changes to many school systems around the nation, and may soon be affecting how we teach at Kirkwood Community College.  To help us gain a better understanding of Competency Based Education, KCELT instructional designer Jeremy Slagoski met with Russell in an interview.  The transcript for this interview can be found here.

Russell mentioned how Competency Based Education is currently affecting Iowa public schools.  The Iowa Department of Education published their guidelines for PK-12 Competency-based pathways in 2013, and they can be found here or by going to https://www.educateiowa.gov/sites/files/ed/documents/Competency-basedGuidelines2013-11-13.pdf.

The Iowa state legislation on Competency Based Education that Russell spoke of can be accessed at http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&ga=84&hbill=SF2284.

Russell also spoke about how the Wisconsin university system is developing Competency Based Education.  The video below introduces students to this concept.

And an article on Wisconsin’s adaptation can be found at http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/flexible-option-direct-assessment-competency-based-education-model

If you’re interested in how community colleges can adopt Competency Based Education, the video from the New America Foundation may provide some helpful ideas.

If you are still skeptical about the Competency Based Education movement, then we suggest that you read this article from the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julian-l-alssid/what-is-competencybased-e_b_5716779.html

Are you interested in learning more about Competency Based Education? Would you like to help Kirkwood Community College faculty and students become better prepared for this approach?  If so, please contact us.  Additionally, we welcome any feedback on this teaching and learning approach as it appears that it is gaining more and more traction.