Pearson Launches Competency-Based Education Framework and Readiness Assessment

As competency-based degree programs gain momentum among colleges and universities led by organizations such as the Council for Adult & Experiential Learning and the Next Generation Learning Challenges, more institutions may be wondering how far off they are from being able to implement this approach to education. Competency-based education (CBE) allows students to advance based on their ability to prove mastery of a skill or knowledge area in order to improve their workforce prospects.

Education technology company Pearson has developed an assessment tool that allows schools to gauge their institutions' readiness to adopt CBE.

The tool consists of a questionnaire that asks questions in seven areas:

  • The initial market analysis, which determines what degrees are in demand, where future growth will take place and what local employers are looking for;
  • Institutional readiness assesses how CBE fits with the school's mission, what kind of faculty and administration support the initiative has, and the existing capabilities and financial resources available to support a new program;
  • The phase for developing the model scrutinizes how courses would be designed, delivered and assessed; what the protocols are for admission and how academic policies are set; what tuition will be set at; and availability of technology (such as a learning management system and analytics engine);
  • Marketing and recruiting calculate what sets the programs apart and how to recruit students who are likely to succeed;
  • Admissions and registration set policies regarding how prior learning will be credited and structures processes related to registration, degree planning and other components;
  • Enrolled student engagement stays on top of student acceptance for the program and jumps in to intervene with at-risk students with advising and related services; and
  • Data and improvement measures data related to evaluation of program elements as well as the use of data to support students and revise curriculum.

A simple set of calculations based on responses to each question area helps college officials understand how close they are to having the capacity to support a CBE initiative. Where there are gaps, Pearson's services division is ready to step in and provide consulting to help institutions build programs that meet the maxims of CBE.

"By making our CBE framework details widely available, we hope to empower institutions to incorporate CBE into their teaching and learning models, as it's materializing to be a viable and successful option for more students," said Brian Epp, Pearson's strategic consultant for Higher Education Services.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • AI robot with cybersecurity symbol on its chest

    Microsoft Adds New Agentic AI Tools to Security Copilot

    Microsoft has announced a major expansion of its AI-powered cybersecurity platform, introducing a suite of autonomous agents to help organizations counter rising threats and manage the growing complexity of cloud and AI security.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Launches Claude for Education

    Anthropic has announced a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

  • central cloud platform connected to various AI icons—including a brain, robot, and network nodes

    Linux Foundation to Host Protocol for AI Agent Interoperability

    The Linux Foundation has announced it will host the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol project, an open standard originally developed by Google to support secure communication and interoperability among AI agents.

  • open laptop in a college classroom with holographic AI icons like a brain and data charts rising from the screen

    4 Ways Universities Are Using Google AI Tools for Learning and Administration

    In a recent blog post, Google shared an array of education customer stories, showcasing ways institutions are using AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to transform both learning and administrative tasks.