Competency-based education and higher education enterprise systems

Abstract

Background

Competency-based education (CBE) as a means of awarding degrees and credentials in higher education has emerged as a student-centric, personalized academic design with the potential to transform learning; however, the variety that currently exists in program design and delivery has limited the development opportunities for systemic enterprise solutions. To scale, expand, and enhance the delivery of these programs, new technological systems and administrative processes are required, as existing enterprise systems do not support flexible configurations of automated business processes that respond to institutions that deliver both traditional and CBE programs.

Aims

The research presented explores the basic system design and configuration elements that are necessary to electronically facilitate the student, academic, and business functions in higher education CBE programs.

Method

A national survey was conducted collecting data on CBE program design and practices as it relates to enterprise system elements.

Discussion

Based on the results of the survey, it is recommended that future efforts in the next-generation enterprise technology, specifically student information systems, focus on three foundational building blocks: course/program catalogs, class/schedule building, and term/subterm timeframes. By integrating key configuration options into these three areas, the variety across institutional design can be accounted for, and flexibility for future innovative instructional models can be addressed.

Conclusion

Additional consideration, in future research, should be given to the interplay between systems to create a technological ecosystem responsive to the individual student with the educational process.