Slides from Conversations That Work session, April 7, 2017, OLC Innovate 2017. Lead Presenter: Dr. Lisa Johnson Co-presenter: Dr. Christopher Sorensen Track: Structural Innovation The presentation is structured around those themes with 5 questions for conversation around challenges faced by an online institution developing a competency-based education alternative for master’s degree completion. Challenges include competency development, program structure, assessment design, faculty models, and enrollments into the alternative and traditional degree program formats. Session Page: https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/olc-innovate-2017-session-page/?session=3048&kwds= ------------------ A scribe took notes during session and those can be viewed from https://goo.gl/N1zKcZ | Most impactful take-away is that choices made during CBE program development will be dependent on your organization's needs, infrastructure, and the degree/program type you are offering and the same choices might not work for other programs at your institution. There is no one right way to develop a CBE program. There are ways that will not be supported by internal cultures and infrastructures and that will be influenced heavily by your external regulatory environment (accreditation, DOE, etc).

1. CONVERSATIONS THAT WORK!
Competency-Based Program Development:
Challenges & Solutions
Lisa Johnson, PhD Christopher Sorensen, PhD
Assistant Professor, MSIDT | BAID Program Chair, MSIDT | BAID
Lisa.Johnson@Ashford.Edu | ReflectiveLearning.Net Christopher.Sorensen@Asfhord.Edu
April 7, 2017 – New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

2. CONVERSATIONS THAT WORK!
C o m p e te n c y - B a s e d P ro g ra m D e v e l o p me nt : C h a l l e n ge s & S o l u t i o n s
L i s a J o h n s o n , P h D & C h r i sto p h e r S o re n s e n , P h D
5 Common Challenges for Developing an IDT CBE Masters Degree
Competency
Development
Program
Structure
Faculty
Models
Enrollment
Options
Assessment
Design
Session Focus & Structure

3. CONVERSATIONS THAT WORK!
C o m p e te n c y - B a s e d P ro g ra m D e v e l o p me nt : C h a l l e n ge s & S o l u t i o n s
L i s a J o h n s o n , P h D & C h r i sto p h e r S o re n s e n , P h D
Solution 1: Use Existing Competencies
Solution 2: Create New Competencies
Solution 3: Other ?
Challenge 1: Competency Development
I.e., How would (or did) you determine the competencies that will frame
the competency-based program and drive its assessment development
and resource planning?

4. CONVERSATIONS THAT WORK!
C o m p e te n c y - B a s e d P ro g ra m D e v e l o p me nt : C h a l l e n ge s & S o l u t i o n s
L i s a J o h n s o n , P h D & C h r i sto p h e r S o re n s e n , P h D
Solution 1: Single Modality
Solution 2: Dual Modality
Solution 3: Other ?
Challenge 2: Program Structure
I.e., Would you offer a single modality (competency only) or would you
offer a dual modality (competency & course-based), or another modality?

5. CONVERSATIONS THAT WORK!
C o m p e te n c y - B a s e d P ro g ra m D e v e l o p me nt : C h a l l e n ge s & S o l u t i o n s
L i s a J o h n s o n , P h D & C h r i sto p h e r S o re n s e n , P h D
Solution 1: Comprehensive Project
Solution 2: Multiple Projects
Solution 3: Other ?
Challenge 3: Assessment Design
I.e., Would you use a single large continuous authentic project linked to
students’ work/real life that builds throughout the program toward a final
summative comprehensive project or would you opt for multiple projects
of varying types that may or may not align to students’ work/real life or
another option?

6. CONVERSATIONS THAT WORK!
C o m p e te n c y - B a s e d P ro g ra m D e v e l o p me nt : C h a l l e n ge s & S o l u t i o n s
L i s a J o h n s o n , P h D & C h r i sto p h e r S o re n s e n , P h D
Solution 1: Bundled (Mentor-Evaluator = Instructor)
Solution 2: Unbundled (Mentor + Evaluator = Instructor)
Solution 3: Other ?
Challenge 4: Faculty Model
I.e., Would you structure your faculty model so that there was one
instructor assigned per competency or competency group or would you
unbundle the instructor role or another option?

7. CONVERSATIONS THAT WORK!
C o m p e te n c y - B a s e d P ro g ra m D e v e l o p me nt : C h a l l e n ge s & S o l u t i o n s
L i s a J o h n s o n , P h D & C h r i sto p h e r S o re n s e n , P h D
Solution 1: Unidirectional (No Mobility)
Solution 2: Bidirectional (Mobility)
Solution 3: Other ?
Challenge 5: Enrollment
I.e., IF you used a dual modality, would you use a unidirectional enrollment
not allowing students to go among programs or a bidirectional
enrollment, allowing students to go between both programs, or another
option?

8. CONVERSATIONS THAT WORK!
C o m p e te n c y - B a s e d P ro g ra m D e v e l o p me nt : C h a l l e n ge s & S o l u t i o n s
L i s a J o h n s o n , P h D & C h r i sto p h e r S o re n s e n , P h D
QUESTIONS?
PLEASE CONTACT US!
Lisa Johnson, PhD Christopher Sorensen, PhD
Assistant Professor, MSIDT Program Chair, MSIDT
Lisa.Johnson@Ashford.Edu Christopher.Sorensen@Asfhord.Edu