Measuring What Matters: Competency-Based Learning Models in Higher Education: New Directions for Institutional Research, Number 110

By: IR Staff

Intended as a toolkit for academic administrators, faculty andresearchers to deal effectively with the rapid emergence ofcompetency-based learning models across higher education, thisvolume provides practical advice and proven techniques forimplementing and evaluating these models. Drawing from a recentNational Postsecondary Education Cooperative project that examineddata and policy implications across public and private institutionsas well as an industrial setting, readers will find an inventory ofstrong practices to utilize in evaluating competency-basedinitiatives. Issues discussed include practical concerns ofmeasuring and reporting competency; the critical connectionsbetween the skills employers seek and student preparation for them;the connections between distance education, accrediation, andcompetencies; and the difficult procedure of setting appropriatepassing standards for assessments. With a bibliography oncompetency literature and a framework for creating competencymodels, this volume is an invaluable tool to researchers andpractitioners alike. This is the 110th issue of the Jossey-Bass series NewDirections for Institutional Research.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0787914118
• ISBN13: 9780787914110
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Competency Based Education in Higher Education

This book makes two significant contributions to the discussion of implementing Competency Based Education (CBE) in higher education. First, much of the literature on CBE is focused on the challenges of implementing CBE within elementary and secondary schools. For that reason alone, many in higher education dismiss CBE as irrelevant to its mission believing, instead, that its applicability is limited to those primary and secondary school settings. That, in itself, makes this an important book. As an edited volume it offers a variety of perspectives on CBE developed within different types of institutional settings and relating CBE to a wide range of concerns common to most institutions of higher education: assessment and retention, improving student learning, distance education and accreditation issues and the demand for increased institutional accountability. Second, the volume concludes with an excellent annotated bibliography that will point the reader in new directions for continued research. This is an essential primary resource for anyone interested in this topic.