Badges of Competence
D.School professor Tina Seelig1 touts the power of seemingly trivial questions in opening our horizons and bringing to light unquestioned assumptions. Educational reformer Grant Wiggins2 illustrates this when he asks “What is the goal of education?” Is the aim really knowledge, or is knowledge a mean to the end goal? Elizabeth Coleman3, former president of Bennington College, qualifies education as performing art: Education prepares students to perform well in their lives and profession. Harvard educators Harry Lewis4 and Tony Wagner5 have each dramatically illustrated the extent to which we often lose sight of the soul and purpose of education and fail to equip students with the right skills. In many respects, this shift from knowledge to competence and performance is at the heart of the movement from courses and grades to competencies and mastery. There are several other motivations and benefits to competency-based education.
1. What is competency-based education?
Competency-based education focuses on the end goal, i.e. demonstrated competence. Students graduate when they demonstrate their mastery of agreed upon skills. The focus therefore is on the output. This is a departure from the traditional credit-based system where the credit hour is the unit of measure of student’s progress and graduation. Even though there is a (strong) correlation between seat time and the acquisition of skills, focusing on the output rather than on the resources has a tremendous impact on all aspects of the education.
In competency-based education, the students’ transcripts do not record courses and grades; they record competencies the student has demonstrated. In most competency-based systems, the transcripts are accompanied with digital portfolios documenting the students’ work.
2. Why competency-based education for the Polytechnic Incubator’s program?
Competency-based education emerged as a natural choice for us for several reasons. The key ones are:
-
It puts the focus on the competencies we deem critical. If nothing else, the publication of the book Academically Adrift6 rang an alarm showing that the correlation between credit hours and key competencies can be very tenuous, even in our elite schools. As we set to rethink our educational curricula, it was important for us to start from the key competencies we want our graduates to have. -
We are accountable for the outcome. Making the demonstrated acquisition of competencies as the ultimate measure of students’ progress and graduation put accountability center stage. -
It puts the student in charge. Trust in the student and respect for their autonomy and desire to learn is a core value of the Polytechnic Incubator. A competency-based education offers many degrees of freedom and control to the student that traditional systems do not. -
It marries the red bricks with the free bits of education. Learning happens everywhere, anytime, and from a variety of sources including MOOCs, peers, online communities, and plain books. The Polytechnic Incubator acknowledges and welcomes this diversity. It enriches all of us and accommodates a broader range of students, styles, and means. This serves our value of openness and access.
3. The logistics of competency-based education
The transition from centuries old credit-based system to the new competency-based system is not a trivial matter. There are many entrenched interdependent involving almost every aspect of the academic operation. It is for this reason that encouragement and support that the Purdue administration has given the Polytechic Educational Research and Development team to green-light this transition are truly historical.
We have been closely working with the Offices of the Registrar and Provost as they manage the different dependencies and guide us in the process. We are collaborating with the many academic units in order to identify and define competencies that are within their disciplines. We are working with the Passport team in ITaP in order to create digital badges and portfolios to be used by the faculty and students.
Because we are decoupling credit hours from competencies acquired, we distinguish between the learning environment carefully prepared and managed by the faculty and the specific competencies that the students chose to acquire. Faculty prepare learning experiences fertile with opportunities for the students to pursue, practice, and acquire specific competencies. The students chose the learning experiences they participate in (these can be thought of as classes or labs). As they proceed through learning experiences, with close support from their mentors and classroom faculty, and with continuous introspection, the students learn and record competencies and refine their plans for further learning. The faculty offer; the students select and learn at their pace and based on their readiness and inclination.
4. Timeline
In Fall 2014, students in the pioneering Polytechnic Incubator cohort are enrolled in traditional programs, but they are receiving their education through the Purdue Polytechnic Institute. These students are attending newly designed learning environments through which they are acquiring the competencies embedded in the courses in their plan of study. Their transcripts show traditional courses with grades posted at the end of the semester. The faculty are living in both worlds translating and mapping back and forth. They are offering integrated learning environments, mentoring the students into acquiring competencies that are recorded in ITaP’s Passport system. At the end of the semester, they will map these competencies back to the courses the students signed up for and generate grades for them.
In the meantime, faculty have developed a full-fledged competency-based curriculum that will be undergoing the approval processes. The plan is to have this new degree in place for Fall 2015. Current students can transition seamlessly into it. An integral part of the design is a mapping that maximizes students choice and mobility.
________________________________________________________________
1: Tina Seelig, inGenius: A Crash Course on Innovation, 2012.
2: Grant Wiggins, Understanding by Design, 2005.
3: https://www.ted.com/speakers/liz_coleman.
4 Harry R. Lewis, Excellence Without a Soul: How a Great University Forgot Education. 2006.
5 Tony Wagner, The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need--and What We Can Do About It, 2010.
6 Richard Arum, Josipa Roska, Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses, 2010.
About the author
cosima mary @ on
Competency-based education is an extremely fun method! I hope it will be widely developed!
1v1 lol
Reply Report abuse
Den Benson @ on
Yukon Gold Canada - Free Spins Bonus.
Reply Report abuse
Mike Alley @ on
Digital competence badges are a new, visually appealing approach to demonstrate expertise. Competence badges describe the various methods for demonstrating your competence. The goal is to specify what types of retro bowl examples and evidence you should present to illustrate your expertise.
Reply Report abuse
Mike Alley @ on
Digital competence badges are a new, visually appealing approach to demonstrate expertise. Competence badges describe the various methods for demonstrating your competence. The goal is to specify what types of retro bowl examples and evidence you should present to illustrate your expertise.
Reply Report abuse
Wolfe Leslie @ on
This is an amazing and informative article that covers so much ground. gorilla tag
Reply Report abuse
Wolfe Leslie @ on
This is an amazing and informative article that covers so much ground. gorilla tag
Reply Report abuse
Jomes uyddu ufguit @ on
This writing service https://expert-writers.net doesn’t just employ any old pool of writers, they carefully select the writers who work for them. Doing so, they can deliver essays in almost any subject, written by an expert in that discipline. When you’re looking for an essay that will really wow your professors, this service is the best one to use. The best part is that if you get on well with a writer, you can ask to work with them again. Just select them from the database and you’ll be able to see their rating and how many orders they’ve completed.
Reply Report abuse
coca coca mary mary @ on
I admire this forum more and more, providing me with many useful and updated information.
fireboy and watergirl
Reply Report abuse
jack bean @ on
Telly episode brings you the exclusive celebrity interviews, photos, latest celebrity gossips, news, videos of indian tellyepisode industry and even more.
Reply Report abuse
selena kale @ on — Edited @ on
Smaller places are usually warm and people care more about each other, I like that. word finder
Reply Report abuse
John Dorian @ on
You should see here if you would like to order paper. This is a great service for any student. Now you can rest and delegate the work to experts. This is a great opportunity.
Reply Report abuse
Jacob pine @ on
I am pretty sure you will find an essay on literature on your topic that someone has already written. And this will give you ideas.
Reply Report abuse
fayolaa mary @ on
Ahh that is great thank you ! Good for special needs too ! krunker
Reply Report abuse
jack bean @ on
Watch Tamil TV Serials and TV Shows Free Online, vijay tv tamildhool Cool Collection of Tamil Serials & Shows.
Watch latest Tamil tv show episodes on , including Tamil comedy, romance, thriller, horror & family shows and more tamil serials.
Reply Report abuse
Jas ika @ on
Never seen this kind of useful post. I am grateful to you and expect more number of posts like these. Thank you very much. Online VAT Tax Service essex
Reply Report abuse
jack bean @ on
Watch Bigg Boss full episodes online for your daily dose of hindi reality show. Enjoy all bigg boss 16 latest episode latest episodes & updates in HD by Voot/Colors on ...
Watch Bigg Boss 16 Full Episodes Watch Online Show Watch Online Video Full Episodes of Colors Tv, Bigg Boss 16 Today Episode Online By Voot Free Download high Quality.
Reply Report abuse
Pikosu Leonla @ on
Open badges can be used in so many different ways! Align various badge types of basketball stars with the goals you have for your badge system after deciding what they are.
Reply Report abuse
Stain Marko @ on
One possible interpretation of dreaming about eating raw meat is that it represents your strong desire to feel like an animal. Raw meat is often associated with the idea of hunting and gathering, which taps into our innermost animalistic tendencies. In this sense, dreaming about eating raw meat could suggest that you have a desire to tap into your naturalistic instincts or reconnect with your wild side.
Reply Report abuse
Steele Nickle @ on
Time is of the essence; if the kidnapper catches you in the Lakewitch, he will have more children to abduct.
color by number
Reply Report abuse
david miller @ on
Embark on a novel journey into the realm of Windows Emulation, all from the convenience of your Android device, thanks to Winlator website!
Reply Report abuse
Anonymous @ on
Eyeing those challenging exams? Well, they're about to meet their match! Our take my exam for me service is like the secret sauce to your academic burger. Add in our expert ensemble, and you're in for a treat! Drop the stress, pick up the flair, and let's cook up some grade-A results.
Reply Report abuse
Amelia G Fay @ on
Thank you for sharing such a good and quality article. wordle hint
Reply Report abuse
Sabina Holt @ on
Feel free about knowing something new on solar energy, solar power and, of course, solar panel
Reply Report abuse
Thomas Frank @ on — Edited @ on
I like how the program empowers students with control over their learning pace and prioritizes real-world Wordle Unlimited capabilities. The Red Bricks Meet Free Bits approach to learning sources is innovative and accommodates diverse learning styles.
Reply Report abuse
Felix Andrea @ on — Edited @ on
I found it interesting to read about Purdue University's transition to a competency-based education model. This is a promising initiative that aims to equip students with practical skills, while giving them autonomy and responsibility for learning. I hope that this model will achieve much success and become a typical example for innovation in higher education. Have you done the rice purity test created by Rice University students? It will bring you many interesting surprises during your student time.
Reply Report abuse
Gary Mark @ on
This is a great and informative article, covering a lot of topics. If you know about cookie clicker, join now to experience many interesting things.
Reply Report abuse
William Gerorge @ on
If businesses hold the Bitcoin they receive instead of converting it immediately to fiat currency, they might benefit from potential future increases in Bitcoin's value. check this guide
Cancel Report abuse