THE SOLUTION TO OUR WOES? PRESENTATION BY DR. RICHARD LEIBY DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT Competency-based Assessment

Assessment as it exists now Units of analysis are courses  Courses are designated as fulfilling requirements  Students in the courses do assignments designed to teach skills  Results are tallied and conclusions drawn on a course- wide basis  Course results gathered and conclusions drawn about student learning in general terms.

Results of our efforts  Student learning is expressed in the aggregate  Results are expressed on average  Outcomes are directed toward improving teaching, not learning  Goals we set for student learning become more aspirational than statements of compentency  Individual student learning achievement is lost in the aggregate data

What is competency-based education? Definition: CBE is a system of pedagogy (including teaching, assessment, and learning) that sets forth clear expectations for student achievement and requires demonstration that the prescribed expectations have been attained.

What does that mean, really? It means that all educational goals (General Education, Major, and associated social/life goals) MUST be defined in terms of competencies that MUST be mastered.

Examples:  General Ed: By graduation, you must be able to demonstrate the following: X Y Z  Major: Before completing the History major, you must demonstrate the ability to do the following: Q R S

Differences: The unit of analysis becomes THE STUDENT, not the course.  Every student is expected to master the required competencies attached to the degree specified by the faculty as a whole (for GE) or Department faculty (for the major). Student progress is tracked on an individual level. Students must be able to demonstrate mastery of every competency area or they are not allowed to graduate!

Advantages: To the student:  Student has a better understanding of what skills and proficiencies the College believes they need to function in the world today.  Students can be more intentional about what courses they take, choosing those to improve weaknesses or build upon strengths  Students will assemble and maintain a portfolio of works that demonstrate mastery. That portfolio can then be used as a resource for employment or further education (witness, the studio art portfolio)

Advantages for faculty Diminishes or eliminates the need to make global recommendations based on averages and rubric scores. Recommendations can be tailored to the individual student Burden of assessment shifts to student and student’s advisor. Allows faculty to make qualitative judgments about individuals rather than quantitative judgments about classes or groups. Helps identify student weaknesses and needs, and facilitates selecting courses to meet those needs.

HOLD ON! Impossible, you say??? It’s not only possible, it’s being done now:  Certain majors already do Competency Based Education.  Notable examples: Education, BFA programs. (Any major where outside accreditation agencies already specify competencies that must be attained for certification).  There is already a national movement underway to specify the qualifications that signal degree- attainment in all academic areas (DQP)  Many colleges have already moved to this model.

What changes would this bring? 1. “In place of evidence-gathering activities added on to the teaching and learning process to “check up” on its effectiveness, assessment activities are embedded within the process in the form of progressively more challenging exercises, performances, and assignments for demonstrating student mastery at multiple points.” 2. “This approach demands collective discipline and hard collaborative work from faculty to develop assignments and examination questions up to the task of determining student competence.” -Quotes taken from Ewell, Peter T. The Lumina Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP): I mplications for Assessment

More changes 1. Added importance to advising Advisor becomes the “guide” making sure the trainee gets the skills. 2. All requirements would need clearly stated goals that must be met (a good idea anyway) 3. There would need to be a recognized method of testing competency achievement that is fair, standardized, and rigorous. Decisions must be verifiable (in other words, others would draw the same conclusions) 4. Students could demonstrate mastery after one course (or even after one assignment) but cannot graduate until all areas are mastered to assessors’ satisfaction. 5. Portfolios of one kind or another would be necessary. 6. Curricular mapping takes on added importance as the “road map” to get a student from start to mastery.