why is that it's not based on inputs -- and by inputs I'm talking about things like the number of hours you glue your bottom to a seat in the classroom, the number of credits that you get, the number of years or semesters that you spend in university. Basically, time input. ... That really doesn't do very much to qualify you for many practical things. ... In a competency-based model, you get your degree, your certificate -- you get your ticket stamped -- based on what you know and what you do, rather than the amount of time you spent studying it. ... Some people have the very radical notion that "Why should we make people go to university at all? Maybe we should just say, 'okay, show up and write the test and do the qualifying exams -- and you can teach yourself if you want -- and we'll certify you! We don't care how you get there.'" Which is of course a completely different model than the model that we have now, which is completely input-based. ... You focus on outcomes rather than process. Now this really makes sense for... the purposes for which adult learners go back to school. They have a very specific goal in mind, they're practical and they want to get there in the most efficient way possible. They also are not pursuing higher education for many of the reasons that younger people are pursuing it. They don't need the social environment. They