DREAM 2013 Spotlight: The Compelling Case of Competency- Based Education
Channel: Achieving the Dream
Date: 2013-03-18

Consider the words we use to characterize our education:
K-12; Two-year college; Four-year college; P-16. It's not what
students learn, but how much time they spend learning. What is
competency-based education and what makes it different? The
most important characteristic of competency-based education
is that it measures learning rather than time. Students progress
by demonstrating their competence, which means they prove
that they have mastered the knowledge and skills regardless
of how long it takes. While more traditional models can and
often do measure competency, they are time-based -- courses
last about four months, and students may advance only after
they have put in the seat time. This is true even if the student
could have completed the coursework and passed the final exam
in half the time. While most colleges and universities hold
time requirements constant and let learning vary, competencybased
learning allows us to hold learning constant and let
time vary. Come discover some models already in practice!

Presenter:
• Parminder Jassal, Executive Director, ACT Foundation