Learn how to take preliminary steps to administer and manage competency-based education programs at your institution.
Competency-based education (CBE) provides unique challenges for administrators within higher education. This training will help those embarking on a CBE initiative set up the operational elements needed for success. You will explore what CBE model will work best for your institution, how to effectively resource it, and how to overcome challenges in your path to launching a program. You will leave better prepared to administer and manage CBE programs at your institution.
This highly practical and skills-based conference will provide you with a preliminary understanding of how to develop CBE on your campuses. The conference will balance both concrete content with problem-solving case studies.
Two CBE Programs, One Location
Make the most of your conference experience and join us after this program to learn how to take a traditional course and convert it into a CBE format. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to take the first steps toward converting or creating a CBE course on your campus. Save $495 when you attend both programs.
Who Should Attend
Academic leaders, student affairs leaders, directors of CBE programs, and financial aid admin will come away with baseline understanding of what CBE looks like, the design options, and an initial understanding of how it might work at your institution. You will walk away with key considerations needed to make informed decisions about moving to CBE. When you register two people from your institution a third can attend for 50% off!
Agenda
Monday, November 13, 2017
Conference Registration and Breakfast (included in registration)
8:00 - 8:30 .m.
Introductory Exercise
8:30 - 9:15 a.m.
In this opening session, we will establish a baseline for our current understanding of CBE, perceptions about this type of delivery, and articulating our learning target for the next two days.
- How many attendees are currently operating a CBE program?
- What are they hoping to learn over the next 1.5 days?
- What is your perception and basic understanding of CBE?
Understanding Competency-Based Education
9:15 - 10:30 a.m.
Before we begin making decisions in regards to CBE, it’s important for us to understand the motivators behind the movement. During this session we will discuss:
- Institutional and national motivations for CBE
- Hallmarks of CBE programs
- Prior learning assessment in the context of CBE
- Primary models used in CBE
- Online vs. In-Person CBE
Break
10:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Making the Big Decisions and Choosing What Works Best for Your Institution
10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
There is no “one size fits all” approach to CBE. During this session you will work through big decisions that your institution needs to make before setting your CBE initiative into motion. We will discuss:
- Differences between Carnegie Credit Hour Programs vs. Direct Assessment Programs
- Academic programs that are best suited for CBE
- General education and CBE
- Accreditation options for your institution
You will have the opportunity to apply some of these key considerations to your institution.
Lunch (included in registration)
12:15 - 1:15 p.m.
10 Principles for CBE Program Design
1:15 - 2:45 p.m.
In this session you will walk through the key choices that your institution must make when designing a successful CBE program including:
- Clear, cross-cutting, and specialized competencies
- Embedded process for continuous improvement
- Engaged faculty and external partners
- Learner-centered
- New or adjusted financial models
- Coherent, competency-driven program and curriculum design
- Enabling and aligned business processes and systems
- Flexible staffing roles and structures
- Measurable and meaningful assessments
- Proficient and prepared graduates
Break
2:45 - 3:00 p.m.
Working Session: What Design Options Make the Most Sense for Your Institution?
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
After reviewing the 10 key principles of design, you will have time to apply these concepts to your institution. Splitting into groups, we will workshop these issues and share out to the broader group.
The Finances of CBE
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Once you have considered program design, you can begin to explore resourcing your program. During the final session of day one we will explore financial considerations, including:
- Cost to develop and operate your program
- Faculty and staff needed
- Time required to get your program up and running
Networking Reception (included in registration fee)
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)
8:00 - 8:30 a.m.
Reflection and Q&A from Day One
8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Understanding Financial Aid and Technology Challenges
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Aside from programmatic and financial decisions there are other challenges that often get overlooked and can delay the launch of your program. During this session we will discuss how financial aid and technology can act as barriers to launching CBE on campus. Our experts will show you techniques that have been used to overcome these hurdles.
Break
10:00 - 10:15 a.m.
Strategically Approaching the Launch of Your CBE Program
10:15 - 11:00 a.m.
It is important to set realistic timelines for your CBE initiative as there are significant issues that come with launching a program too quickly. During this session we will cover how to avoid pitfalls that come with launching a program prematurely and outline who needs to be consulted prior to launch to ensure success.
What to Expect and When?
11:00 - 11:45 a.m.
In this final session of the event, we will discuss how you can take a calculated approach to selling CBE to your institution and measuring its success. Our experts will cover how you can gain buy in, define success, and share lessons learned from their early adoption of CBE.
Conference Wrap-up and Q&A
11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Speakers
Eric A. Heiser
Dean, School of Applied Technology and Technical Specialties
Salt Lake Community College
Eric has worked in higher education for the past 11 years. He was a full-time, tenured assistant professor at Central Wyoming College in Riverton, Wyoming for six years and taught in the areas of business, management, and criminal justice. Eric also spent time as a Director and Workforce Training Coordinator during his time with Central. He has spent the past four years as an academic administrator, with the past two years as the Associate Dean and currently the Interim Dean of the School of Applied Technology and Technical Specialties at Salt Lake Community College. Eric has overseen and is currently leading the School of Applied Technology to a transition from a clock hour format into competency-based education modality. Eric has spent the past five years working in the area of competency-based education and curriculum development, and has been involved in helping to change over 15 academic programs during that time. Eric holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Colorado State University.
William Pena
Associate Vice President, Student Financial Services
Southern New Hampshire University
In his current role, William leads the University’s financial aid interests relating to emerging and alternative learning models including competency-based education, direct assessment programs and the Department of Education’s Experimental Sites Initiatives. He also oversees the Student Financial Services office serving the students and business partners of College for America.
Previously, William has served with the University of Wisconsin, leading financial aid initiatives for their statewide portfolio of CBE programs, including obtaining the first federal financial aid approval for a public university offering a direct assessment program. He is also a member of the Competency-Based Education Network and has contributed to the organization’s publications on federal financial aid while also collaborating with accreditors and the U.S. Department of Education on emerging trends and challenges in the CBE space.
William has worked in the for-profit, public, and private/nonprofit sectors with specialized focus on federal student aid compliance, alternative learning models, and competency-based education programs.
James Selbe
Owner
Selbe Consulting
Jim is a higher education consultant, specializing in online, competency-based education, enrollment growth, and serving student veterans. He served for over seven years as the President of Hopkinsville Community College. Until January 2015, Jim served as the System Director for Distance Learning Initiatives at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) and guided the development of foundation principles for competency-based online education to be used statewide. Jim was also the director of KCTCS’ online, modularized, competency-based Direct2Degree program (D2D).
Jim has had a distinguished career as a college and university administrator for more than 36 years. Having served at a private liberal arts university, a technical institute, a regional research university, and several community colleges, Jim brings a wealth of knowledge from a variety of higher education sectors. He brings a unique perspective to guide planning and execution with full understanding of the cross-function implications.
Questions About the Event?
Tunde Brimah
Director of Program Development, Academic Impressions