Background/purpose: British, European and American universities are increasingly adopting competency-based learning, yet, there are different and conflicting definitions of competence, competency, and competency-based learning. Consequently, multiple interpretations and understandings are held by educators in respect of what these terms mean, when…

This paper examines how assessment and grading practices have evolved post COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, more programs have begun implementing Competency-Based Education (CBE) in their practice. This article offers suggestions for higher education institutions and faculty considering implementation of CBE in their assessment practices.

Contribution: A competency assessment framework that enables learning analytics for course monitoring and continuous improvement. Our work fills the gap in systematic methods for competency assessment in higher education. Background: Many institutions are shifting toward competency-based education (CBE), thus encouraging their educators to start…

Competency-based education that uses direct assessment in lieu of credit or clock hours as the measure of student learning is a relatively recent innovation in American higher education. Common features of these innovative programs include competency-based curriculum, authentic assessment, mastery learning, student self-pacing, federal financial…

The Aurora Institute has released state policy recommendations to enable our education system to transition from an industrial age "one-size-fits-all" model, to a future-focused model that supports education innovation, student agency, builds knowledge, and prioritizes mastery of skills and knowledge over seat time. The six identified…

Redundancy in assessment adds unnecessary time to degree completion, which also increases the cost of tuition. In addition, assessment practices that are overly burdensome for faculty can also place too much of a financial burden on an institution and, ultimately, the students. Therefore, competency-based education (CBE) institutions are wise to…

Self-directed learning is generally considered a key competence in higher education. To enable self-directed learning, assessment practices increasingly embrace assessment for learning rather than the assessment of learning, shifting the focus from grades and scores to provision of rich, narrative, and personalized feedback. Students are expected…

State policymakers are in a unique position to enable the innovations in education necessary to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. Working with 8,000 educators nationwide, the Aurora Institute identified the top 10 issues to address in state policy for transforming the K-12 education system: (1) Profile of a Graduate; (2) Innovation…

This article presents a critical review of the education system and curriculum reforms in basic education in Kenya from independence in 1963 to date. It presents a philosophical and pragmatic basis for content review and the curriculum reform process. Data collection involved a critical review of relevant literature; including several curriculum…

COVID-19 has exposed vast and systemic inequities, and calls for a redesigned education system are growing in number and volume. Top-of-mind issues, such as what reopening should look like, administering in-person versus remote instruction, and keeping students and staff safe, are incredibly important. But now, however, is also the time to…

From 2006 to 2008, Educational Testing Service (ETS) produced a series of reports titled "A Culture of Evidence", designed to capture a changing climate in higher education assessment. A decade later, colleges and universities already face a new set of challenges resulting from societal, technological, and various other influences. ETS…

Although competency-based education (CBE) has existed since the early 1970s adult-focused degree programs, interest in CBE has spiked in recent years due to the increased attention on higher education affordability and accountability. This article reviews the extant literature on CBE to address the following questions: (a) What are the definitions…

In this article, the authors report that, as the importance of competency-based learning (CBL) in higher education discourse surges, it not only further validates prior learning assessment (PLA), but it demonstrates PLA's essential nature as an important framework for assessing learning that has been acquired outside of traditional academia.…

The American public's interests are well-served by a strong, effective postsecondary education system. And yet the industry's predominant learning and service paradigm, one that credentials learning by measuring student's time on task and that treats all learners largely the same from a pacing and a requirements perspective is inconsistent with…

Graduate attributes (GAs) have become a necessary framework of reference for the 21st century competency-based model of higher education. However, the issue of evaluating and assessing GAs still remains unchartered territory. In this article, we present a criteria-based method of assessment that allows for an institution-wide comparison of the…