University of Wisconsin Competency based program

[publius2k4]

The University of Wisconsin has earned accreditation for its competency based program, named the "Flexible Option" which is set to launch later this year.

UW Flexible Option

[Daithi]

I'ts too bad that UW and NAU are both a bit sketchy on the details. In a traditional degree it is fairly easy to see what is expected. For example, the coarse catalog will state explicitly how many General Education credits are required and also state explicitly which courses are counted as General Education courses and explain their distribution. You are told if you need to have a certain number of math, science, humanities, and English courses, and they tell you how many upper level credits you are required to have to earn their degree. If a traditional degree accepts Credit By Exam then it is usually not too difficult to determine which exams they accept and how tests, like CLEP and DSST, fit into the degree requirements.

None of this applies to the competency based degrees. Instead, they are exceedingly nebulous. There are no details in regards to General Education requirements. This includes no details on which courses are required or how those requirements are to be met. For example, in a traditional degree they could have a 6 credit social sciences requirement, and you could meet that requirement by passing the Sociology and Psychology CLEP tests. However, with the competency based degrees it is hard to determine if they even have a social sciences requirement, much less how many credits are required, or if CLEP tests can be used to satisfy the requirement, or if there is some kind of online course that you would do, or if the course is primarily focused on writing a series of term papers, or how long it would typically take to complete this course, etc.

It does look like NAU has provided some of these answers, but much is still left to the imagination. The UW program is even more abstract and even the cost of their program cannot be pinned down to even ballpark figures. I guess we'll learn more as time goes on and people become guinea pigs. It's just too bad the universities couldn't be a bit more straightforward providing the details of these programs.

[publius2k4]

It seems vague right now, but it seems that as they get closer to program launch, UW is probably going to end up being more transparent with their program than NAU. Also, since UW has gotten approval from their accrediting agency, I'm willing to wager that they will be eligible for financial aid, where NAU is not.

[rebel100]

My WGU student mentor told me U of Wisconsin sent a team to WGU to check out there program. Apparently several schools have done this in the recent past (don't know but do suspect NAU is among them, they are right next door so to speak). I'm really happy to see this taking off and that some big name schools are embracing the design...its a good thing for the students.

[publius2k4]

My WGU student mentor told me U of Wisconsin sent a team to WGU to check out there program. Apparently several schools have done this in the recent past (don't know but do suspect NAU is among them, they are right next door so to speak). I'm really happy to see this taking off and that some big name schools are embracing the design...its a good thing for the students.

Yes, I'd have to say I'm pretty excited about this form of education catching on as well. It makes more sense for working adults who already possess a considerable level of experience and education. Also, I really enjoy the fair amount of transparency the big 3 gives to WGU. Even though COSC gave me the most credit, all 3 gave me way more credit than my local community college was willing to grant.

[ryoder]

Yeah my local CC only accepted half of my university credits and gave me zero for the MCSD while TESC gave me all of my university credits and accepted my MCSD for 7 CIS credits. I'd rather have a degree from TESC than a local community college anyway.

[brajalle]

I'ts too bad that UW and NAU are both a bit sketchy on the details. In a traditional degree it is fairly easy to see what is expected. For example, the coarse catalog will state explicitly how many General Education credits are required and also state explicitly which courses are counted as General Education courses and explain their distribution. You are told if you need to have a certain number of math, science, humanities, and English courses, and they tell you how many upper level credits you are required to have to earn their degree. If a traditional degree accepts Credit By Exam then it is usually not too difficult to determine which exams they accept and how tests, like CLEP and DSST, fit into the degree requirements.

None of this applies to the competency based degrees. Instead, they are exceedingly nebulous. There are no details in regards to General Education requirements. This includes no details on which courses are required or how those requirements are to be met. For example, in a traditional degree they could have a 6 credit social sciences requirement, and you could meet that requirement by passing the Sociology and Psychology CLEP tests. However, with the competency based degrees it is hard to determine if they even have a social sciences requirement, much less how many credits are required, or if CLEP tests can be used to satisfy the requirement, or if there is some kind of online course that you would do, or if the course is primarily focused on writing a series of term papers, or how long it would typically take to complete this course, etc.

It does look like NAU has provided some of these answers, but much is still left to the imagination. The UW program is even more abstract and even the cost of their program cannot be pinned down to even ballpark figures. I guess we'll learn more as time goes on and people become guinea pigs. It's just too bad the universities couldn't be a bit more straightforward providing the details of these programs.

The NAU website pretty much covers everything you've mentioned, excepting a list/chart of the courses that they've deconstructed into what competencies. WGU on the other hand, is a nightmare to extract that info from. So much so that after trying for awhile, I just gave up.

I hope that the UW program turns into an option more similar to NAU rather than WGU, but they do have some rather interesting degree selections and omissions. Regardless, more skills offering non-traditional paths for students is a good thing to me.

[sanantone]

I found the information on WGU's website to be rather clear and moderately easy to find. They even tell you what requirements CLEPs and DSSTs will fulfill. You can find out how Straighterline courses transfer over on SL's website. WGU is also easier to figure out because it's more aligned with the traditional credit system.

[brajalle]

It seems vague right now, but it seems that as they get closer to program launch, UW is probably going to end up being more transparent with their program than NAU. Also, since UW has gotten approval from their accrediting agency, I'm willing to wager that they will be eligible for financial aid, where NAU is not.

This approval does not grant financial aid. It merely accredits the program to offer degrees in the competency format they've presented. Receiving approval for financial aid is another process, one that requires this approval. Since NAU has already received this approval, and is waiting on approval to offer financial aid, my guess is that it is unlikely UW's program offers financial aid - although the matter is moot, since it is not open. It may by the time it opens, whenever that may be.

I'm not sure their degrees are what people might assume they are initially either -
- Their RN degree is a RN to B.S.N. option
- Their diagnostic imaging degree is targeted for certified diagnostic imaging professionals
- Their B.S. in Information Science & Technology is a normal degree by all appearances
- They have a certificate in writing and communication (if you get useful college credits from it, it might be a useful "free" piece of paper)
- The Associates degrees have potential in meeting requirements elsewhere while getting a piece of paper that carries the UW name

So far, there are two key components not discussed on their website - do they offer grades, and what is the price? Based on their press release about accreditation, I'm guessing they probably haven't decided yet.

[sanantone]

Yeah, there's not guarantee that the programs have been approved for financial aid. Outside of WGU which has been around for awhile, SNHU has been the first of this wave of competency-based programs to be approved for financial aid. An article made a big deal out of it because this paved the way for other programs. Accreditation agencies are private organizations, and they have to approve new programs to be offered under a school's accreditation. The federal government has to approve these programs for financial aid in a separate process. My assumption was that NAU's competency-based programs were already approved by the accreditor since they are already being offered. Also, since WGU operates on a system that's similar to the traditional credit system, it was probably relatively easy to approve for financial aid. Some of these new programs are taking a slightly different approach, so the government probably has to figure out how to disburse financial aid for them.