Two men looking at a tablet and smiling

Welcome to the Center for Certification & Competency-Based Education (C3Be)

Our Purpose

Established in 2021, C3Be supports responsive learning systems that focus on certification, competency-based, and work-place informed learning and education. We help universities, businesses, and students better meet each other's needs through the use of learning maps, assessments, and community outreach.

Learn more about C3Be

Explore the Center for Certification & Competency-Based Education

Who We Are

Discover who we are and learn more about the C3Be staff.

What We Do

Explore what we do and how we support our clients.

Who We Serve

Learn more about the population served by C3Be and how we can support you or your business.

Ideas and Updates

Close up of developer team using mind map to brainstorm idea. Top view of skilled group of business people working together writing marketing strategy by using markers and sticky notes. Symposium.

The Paradox of Process Competencies: How to define and measure outcomes about processes

This document explores process competencies in competency-based education (CBE), focusing on skills like design thinking and problem-solving. It presents three approaches to define them: step-by-step (clear sequences), descriptive (key characteristics), and product-centered (outcome-based). Each approach has benefits and limitations in assessment. A combined approach is recommended to capture both the process and results effectively.
Blue mask: hand using a pen to write in notebook.

Cognitive Labs

Validity is everything in assessment. It means that assessment does what it says— measures what it is intended to measure, providing accurate and meaningful results. During assessment development, C3Be uses a rigorous process that promotes validity. Cognitive labs are powerful tools for finding and removing threats to an assessment’s validity.
Blue mask over KU's Fraser Hall.

Defining Attributes for Well-Suited Individuals for Cybersecurity – Involving Users & Stakeholders in Construct Development for More Inclusive Assessments

In a recent project, C3Be worked with EnterpriseKC to define attributes needed for success in entry-level cybersecurity occupations and develop assessments measuring these attributes. Current published definitions of employability skills have been abstracted to generic concepts, broadly applicable across many fields. They may not represent the specific contexts and needs of the cybersecurity field, nor the perspectives of the diverse range of stakeholders.
Blue mask over KU's Fraser Hall.

Center for Certification & Competency-Based Education Publishes New Research Journal

Center for Certification & Competency-Based Education (C3Be) has launched the Competency-Based Education Research Journal (CBERJ), which serves to advance knowledge of competency-based education through empirical investigations, theory development articles and integrative conceptual reviews.

Contact the C3Be Team

Looking for more information on the C3Be? View the contact page to see how to get in touch with a staff member today. We look forward to hearing from you!