The New Breed of Competency-Based Education Degree Programs: A Trend or Fad? (Part 1) - Robert Hill, Evolllution

The DOE approved three institutions’ “direct assessment” degree programs (first SNHU, then for-profit Capella University, and the University of Wisconsin Extension) that other colleges (including Northern Arizona University and Bellevue College, among others) would also soon seek and obtain approval for this flexible degree option. Likewise, the for-profit online behemoth Kaplan University and its Mount Washington College, along with another giant for-profit institution, Walden University (owned by that Laureate Education), also earned approval from the DOE and its regional accrediting agencies for similar direct assessment programs. Is this a harbinger of things to come? Will other colleges or universities routinely accept these credits and degrees into graduate programs? Will employers have confidence in this new self-paced learning and anytime, anywhere approach? Will they understand and agree to recognize the new competency-based transcripts? This will be something to watch in the coming months. http://www.evolllution.com/opinions/breed-competency-based-education-degree-programs-trend-fad-part-1/