1. To CBE or Not To CBE COMBASE Fall Conference:
Advancing the Promise of Community Colleges
Seattle, Washington
September 24-26, 2016
Jean Floten, Chancellor, WGU Washington
Richard Cummins, President, Columbia Basin College, WA
David Rule, Former President, Bellevue College, WA

2. Competency Based Education (CBE) What is it?
measures learning

5. Our dearest time-honored tradition

6. Who buys our milk shakes?
What is our value proposition in several different and simultaneous futures?
“The customer rarely buys what the company thinks it is selling him.” - Peter Drucker
Drucker’s question invites us ask how to create more focused value propositions for the different ways of drinking our milk shake.

7. General-purpose products disrupted on job-by-job basis
Pace of performance improvement
Sustaining innovations
Performance
Major Metropolitan Newspapers
Help Me:
Unload this stuff
Find the right car
Sell or buy a home
Find the right job or right employees
Kill commuting time productively
Become well-informed
Unwind at end of day
Different measure
Of Performance
Craig’s List
AutoTrader.com
Realtor.com
Monster.com
Metro: Blackberry
CNN.com
Unwind at end of day
Time
Non-consumers or Non-consuming
occasions
Disruptive Innovations: Competing against
non-consumption
Time

8. Disruption = affordability, accessibility
Yesterday GM
Dept. Stores
Digital Equipment
Delta
JP Morgan
Xerox
IBM
Cullinet
AT&T
Sony DiskMan
Columbia Basin College
Today
Toyota
Wal-Mart
Dell
Southwest Airlines
Fidelity
Canon
Microsoft
Oracle
Cingular
Apple iPod
Straighterline.com

9. Fixed time, variable learning
Deliver content to students
Testing & assessment
Progress to next grade, subject,
or body of material
Receive results

10. Competency-based learning
Deliver content to students
Testing & assessment
Receive real-time interactive feedback
Progress to next grade, subject,
or body of material

11. Jean Floten, Chancellor
To CBE . . .
Current “State of the Art”
Jean Floten, Chancellor

12. WGU offers online, competency-based education.

13. WHAT ARE COMPETENCIES?
Knowledge and skills a student must demonstrate to pass a course, and ultimately, to earn a degree.
Defined in collaboration with employers to ensure job relevance.
A competency-unit is equivalent to a credit hour, but is not time-based.
Demonstrated through assessments.

14. CBE recognizes that
students have different levels of knowledge and learn at different rates and pace.

15. WGU students may accelerate based on prior knowledge and skills
WGU students may accelerate based on prior knowledge and skills. Average time to degree is 27 months.

16. If WGU students accelerate, they save time and money
If WGU students accelerate, they save time and money. Average cost is $15K.

17. Most WGU students are mid-career, working adults. Average age is 37.

18. Not a solo journey. WGU faculty members guide and mentor students along the way.

19. Annual tuition is about $6000/year for most programs
FLAT RATE TUITION
Annual tuition is about $6000/year for most programs .
No limit on number of courses.
Hasn’t changed in 8 years.

20. WGU
20 years old
In 50 states & 4 US territories; 6 state WGUs

21. Annual enrollment of 75,000 students
WGU
Annual enrollment of 75,000 students
75,000 students

22. Information Technology
Accredited bachelor’s and master’s
degree programs
in four career
oriented colleges
Business
Health Professions
Information Technology
Teachers

24. About WGU WA

25. Created in 2011 to address workforce needs

26. 10,000 students
10,000 FTES
in Washington

27. Does it work?

28.     EMPLOYERS’ RATINGS
99% said WGU graduates meet or exceed expectations 
94% rated WGU graduates’ job performance as good as or better than the job performance of other graduates 
100% said that their WGU grads were prepared for their jobs 
86% of employers rate WGU nursing grads as very good or excellent in “evidence-based practice” 

29.     STUDENTS’ RATINGS 97% were satisfied with their experience
98% would recommend WGU Washington to friends and family 
92% are employed in their degree field 
25% are pursuing additional education 

30.     SUMMARY Less time. Less money.
Superior results. 
WGU, an innovative and surprisingly affordable online university, a New kind of U.™  
A better learning experience. 

31. SPREADING THE WORD 4 states 7 colleges CBE4CC & CBE Journal
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
4 states
7 colleges
CBE4CC & CBE Journal

32. Community & Technical College Experiment
The Washington State
Community & Technical College
Experiment
Richard Cummins
President, Columbia Basin College

33. Logistical Issues of Program Creation, Operations, and Financing
Curriculum Development
Business model – number and resulting contribution of each college
Issues with Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Faculty involvement and curriculum/OER textbook development
Program launch – marketing at individual colleges, student enrollment
Enrollment history since initial program launch
Current status and future plans

34. Former President, Bellevue College
Or Not To CBE
(Maybe)
David L. Rule
Former President, Bellevue College

35. The Shrinking of the Coalition of the Willing
Pressure from some faculty
“Attack” on “Academic Freedom”
Elitism concerning course content, competencies, and program structure
Union issues of faculty selection, compensation, teaching loads – gets pulled into threats of grievances and contract negotiations
“Destruction of traditional faculty role”
Major disagreements within the faculty; between full and part- time, progressive and traditionalist, etc.
Faculties pressure presidents to withdraw from the Coalition
Faculty going to Board of Trustees

36. The Bellevue College Experience
Initial Positive History – Bellevue College was one of the 7 colleges funded by the Gates Foundation to develop and offer a CBE certificate or degree
Certificate in Business Software Specialist (37 quarter credits) through the applied business division
Highly successful with approximately 300 students
BC was one of first to join the Coalition of the Willing
Business transfer faculty vehemently object to BC’s involvement in CBE
Enlist support of the faculty from social science, humanities, and math divisions
I listen, hold many open meetings, etc. but hold the line
Proven model, not for all students but many, alternative modality, not mandatory for any faculty or student, etc.
Business transfer faculty successful in get a petition signed by many faculty department chairs
Send it to and meet with the Chair of the Board, who adds it to an upcoming meeting
Board directs the president to not implement until further research
BC maintains membership in Coalition of the Willing

37. CONCLUSIONS Adding a new model to an existing one is tricky business
Must be adapted to meet the culture of the institution
There will be early adopters and challengers
The process of adoption is as important as embedding a new way of providing education
It can be done but takes time, money, and patience

38. Questions?
Contact information:
Jean Floten,
Richard Cummins,
David Rule,

39. Bellevue College’s Certificate in Business Software Specialist
Number Class Name Credits
BTS 095 Introduction to Online Learning 1
BTS 110 Web Essentials for Communication 5
BTS 144 Personal Information Manager (MS Outlook 2013) 3
BTS 147 Presentation Design & Delivery (MS PowerPoint 2013) 3
BTS 161 Business Software Essentials (MS Office 2013) 5
BTS 163 Business Document Design Comprehensive (MS Word 2013) 5
BTS 165 Business Spreadsheet Analysis & Design (MS Excel 2013) 5
BTS 168 Business Data Management Tools (MS Access 2013) 5
BTS 189 Webpage Authoring (Adobe Dreamweaver CC) 5

40. Columbia Basin CBE’s AAS in Business
ACCT& 201: Principles of Accounting I
ACCT& 202: Principles of Accounting II
ACCT& 203: Principles of Accounting III
ART& 100: Art Appreciation
BIOL& 100: Survey of Biology w/ Lab
BUS& 201: Business Law
CMST& 220: Public Speaking
ECON& 201: Micro Economics
ECON& 202: Macro Economics
ENGL& 101: English Composition I
ENGL& 102: English Composition II
ENGL& 244: American Literature
GEOL& 101: Intro to Physical Geology w/ Lab
MATH 147: Finite Math
MATH& 146: Introduction to Stats
MATH& 148: Business Calculus
POLS& 202: American Government
SOC& 101: Intro to Sociology