This article examines the "integrated conception of competence" as conceived by Paul Hager and David Beckett and suggests that its characterization in terms intended to distance it from behaviouristic and reductionist notions of competence is not sufficient to differentiate it from other models. Taking up Hager and Beckett's idea that…

Undergraduate students (N = 40) responded positively to a semantic differential scale after experiencing a "direct practice" service learning group work course. Qualitative data documented student's perceptions of increased skill levels relating to self-efficacy--understood as positively influencing mastery of skills and performance…

The method of competences level automated management is developed for student's competences formation. An insufficient level of schools graduates in physics is identified as the modern problem of the education. Teacher does not specify which step in a solution a student can not cope with, and the student reiterates his mistake in other tasks…

The role of public education has never been more important--it is the bedrock of democracy. The failure to provide an equitable public education that enables equal access to opportunity unravels the American dream. Competency-based education holds promise as a uniquely powerful model for fostering equity, but only if equity is an intentional…

To equitably prepare all students for success in the 21st century, we must define and measure broader, deeper, and more student-centered outcomes for students and schools. In this paper, we review the outcomes that researchers, students, educators, families, and communities indicate are important, and describe the array of emerging strategies for…

For many decades, teacher-structured hands-on simulations have been used in education mainly for developing procedural and technical skills. Stimulating contemporary learning outcomes suggests more constructivist approaches. The aim of this study is to examine how self-regulated learning (SRL), an important constructivist learning environment…

The rationale of the problem under study is conditioned by the fact that the compulsory study of a second foreign language at school is a new, but by all means positive phenomenon, as the introduction of a second foreign language in the secondary school curriculum has become a practical step on the way to polycultural education, to the formation…

Eagle Rock, a high school for 15- to 18-year-olds, serves 72 students at risk for dropping out of school. Most come from families who cannot afford any other options. The school provides full scholarships for all students and accepts only students who have not succeeded in traditional settings and want to attend the school. Its programs are…

Educators and administrators are exploring competency-based education as an effective and efficient method to facilitate student learning. This reinforces a burgeoning neo-behaviorist movement in higher education which seeks to synthesize such behaviorist approaches with the cognitive focus of the last 20 years. The current research examines the…

Post-baccalaureate education has emerged as one of the fastest growing segments of higher education. Over the past decade, master's degree enrollment in the U.S. has grown 35%--and the share of adults that hold a master's degree has gone from less than 7% to nearly 9% of the population. Keeping the supply and demand dynamics of basic economic…

In partnership with the ECMC Foundation, Jobs for the Future is leading an effort to explore how postsecondary competency-based education models can be adapted to better serve underprepared adult learners. JFF kicked off this initiative with a convening of educators, policymakers, and researchers, the results of which are captured in this paper.…

Royal Roads University (RRU) is a special purpose university in British Columbia, Canada. Since 1995, this university has focused primarily on multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary graduate education for working professionals. Most programs are offered in a blended online and face-to-face format, which enables adult learners to continue in their…

In April 2013, "NEJHE" launched its New Directions for Higher Education series to examine emerging issues, trends and ideas that have an impact on higher education policies, programs and practices. In this installment, DiSalvio interviews Pamela Tate, president and CEO of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). Topics…

The research-project Co[superscript 2]CA investigates the influence of teacher-trainings on in-service teachers' expertise. Within a teacher-training-study 27 in-service teachers have been trained in selected ideas about teaching, having an exemplary focus on central aspects of formative assessment in competency-oriented mathematics. At the end of…

The intent of this article is to introduce long-time "Online Learning" readership to the field of K-12 online learning while also providing direction for the K-12 online learning scholars about where the field is going or should be going in terms of meeting the needs of K-12 stakeholders. Recently an interview was conducted with Dr. Joe…