Competency-based education (CBE) is a transformative model that expands access for learners and improves workforce readiness. CBE focuses on what a learner knows, rather than where, how, or how long they spent learning it, providing people the opportunity to earn credit for knowledge, skills, or behaviors — also known as competencies — they have or develop.

CBE supports increased student engagement and retention, increased completion rates, alignment to local workforce needs, and increased academic equity and access. As a learner-centered model, CBE focuses on helping learners develop specific competencies they need to secure jobs and advance economically in a way that is authentic to them. By closely associating what is being taught with learners’ careers, institutions overcome concerns about the return on investment of higher education. Institutions that implement CBE in ways that change traditional course delivery or tuition models can also improve flexibility for learners and reduce costs.

CBE addresses three critical problems in higher education: return on investment (ROI), the skills gap, and unmet learner needs. some text

• ROI: CBE is based on industry competencies informed by employers so learners understand the relevance of their coursework in preparing them for future jobs.
• Skills gap: CBE maps learning to industry-defined competencies, centering curriculum on competency mastery, not topic mastery.
• Learners’ needs: CBE is learner-centered, taking into consideration learners’ prior knowledge, challenges, and motivations to create more equitable and accessible learning experiences.

To learn more about why institutions choose CBE, read our blog The Relevancy of Competency-Based Education.

Backward design starts with the competencies learners need to gain, rather than general topics and learning activities. Once competencies are identified, curriculum designers determine how to assess mastery, and then plan learning experiences that align with those assessments. To learn more about backward design and its benefits, read our blog Moving Curriculum Forward With Backward Design.

There are many reasons CBE can be right for your institution. CBE can help meet employers’ demands, create equitable learner-centered environments, accelerate student outcomes, increase access, lower tuition, and advance institutional innovation. CBE is also not one-size-fits-all. You can find the implementation approach that fits your institution’s needs and goals. To learn more about finding the right CBE model for your institution, read our blog How to Identify Your School’s “Flavor” of Competency-Based Education.

CCBE employs a learner-centered model that takes into consideration what students already know and what they need to learn. Learners also value their education more because the skills they master directly tie to potential jobs and future income earnings. CBE can open opportunities for greater flexibility in when and how to learn, as well as lower tuition costs when institutions adopt CBE models that break from traditional approaches.