(from Competency Works):
By Michael Horn
Earlier this month, Inside Higher Ed reported on how the Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General is stymying the rise of competency-based learning in higher education—and is at odds with the rest of the Department, which has been enthusiastic about competency-based learning’s potential.
The inspector general released a critical audit of how the Higher Learning Commission, a regional accreditor, considered colleges’ proposals for new competency-based credentials, in particular around whether the programs being approved had “regular and substantive” interaction between faculty members and students in academic programs.
I, along with many others, have pointed out numerous times that this particular regulation makes little sense in today’s world of emerging online, competency-based programs—and we should instead be moving toward outcomes-based judgments around institutions. CONTINUE READING HERE