Excelsior College Adds Partner for New CBE Program
Excelsior
College will partner in a plan to help higher-education institutions provide
competency-based education (CBE) programs to their students.
Recognizing that more than 350
institutions
now offer or are considering offering degree tracks that incorporate
competency-based education, Excelsior, a college that has been
delivering CBE
programs longer than most, will join Educate Online, a company that
provides
CBE instructional services to the K-12 and higher ed markets, in the Program Management
Partnership.
"We are at a pivotal point in
higher
education," said Council for Adult
& Experiential Learning (CAEL) President
and CEO Pamela Tate. "Institutions are increasingly moving toward CBE
because
it aligns to and meets employer needs in ways traditional programs are
not able
to."
The Program Management Partnership
is a
suite of services and technology to support institutions in
market research,
design, development and delivery of CBE degree programs. Educate Online introduced
the program last month as a new product.
The new technology is intended to
help students
and their teachers through assessment and allow them to proceed through
their
courses — all designed to prepare them for the work world — both
accelerating
and pausing as necessary.
Along with the technology, the
partnership
will also provide higher ed institutions with counseling
and
consulting services designed to help them:
- Drive enrollment;
- Attract students who are focused on job
readiness;
- Educate non-traditional students with the
flexibility they require; and
- Align their programs with employer needs.
Excelsior College President John
Ebersole
said, "Done right, CBE programs can boost enrollments, completion and
placement
rates."
The partnership was announced
during the
recent CAEL (Council for Adult & Experiential Learning)
International
Conference in Chicago.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.