A group of students in a college classroom.

Keeping Students Focused on Learning

Competency-based approaches to teaching at KU

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Would you like to learn more about how competency-or mastery-based approaches can be incorporated into your existing courses?  

In this interactive webinar, we will share examples of how KU faculty members are using competency- and mastery-based teaching approaches to help students focus on learning and skill acquisition rather than performing for a grade. The examples represent the use of these approaches at varying granularities and scale - from identifying learning outcomes, introducing competency-based assessment, and using backwards design in course development, to creating whole programs organized around the competency-based model.  

Speakers will provide a brief overview of their how and why of using competency-based approaches, the impact on student learning, including how these approaches address equity goals, along with the challenges they have had to navigate. We will then use two rounds of breakout rooms for in-depth discussions and questions about the examples. 

We will also explore participants interest in joining a learning community on competency and mastery-based education to support instructors interested in trying out these approaches in the 2023-2024 academic year, with support from experienced faculty, CTE, and C3BE. We plan to host an organizing meeting during lunch at the Annual Teaching Summit on August 17th. Stay tuned for details. 

We invite you to submit questions ahead of time when you sign up so we can tailor the presentations accordingly. 

Questions? Contact Connie.chow@ku.edu 

Co-hosted by the Center for Certification and Competency-Based Education (C3BE), the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Department of Curriculum and Teaching, SOEHS.

Participating faculty 

  • Andrea Follmer Greenhoot, Center for Teaching Excellence.  

  • Jane Barnette, Theatre and Dance 

  • Chris Fischer, Physics and Astronomy 

  • Jen Delgado, Physics and Astronomy 

  • Doug Ward, Journalism  

  • Connie Chow, Curriculum and Teaching, Center for Certification and Competency-based Education 

Zoom Information:

https://kansas.zoom.us/j/91776869394 (Passcode: 550504)

Meeting ID: 917 7686 9394
Passcode: 550504

April 21st, 2 – 3:30 pm CST

  • Via Zoom

Basic Definitions

  • Competency-based education has many descriptions, but common to most of them are that (1) curricula are designed around specific competencies, (2) advancement focuses on a competency

  • and (3) the time and processes students follow to [master and] demonstrate a competency can vary (Mason et al., 2021).

  • Competencies are “statements of required knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that include application standards and clearly state what is required for demonstration of competency” (CBEN, 2017).

  • Backward design is used to create programs using shared expertise of specialized faculty: Competencies (program faculty) → Demonstration of Mastery (assessment experts) → Instructional Design (learning scientists and instructional designers).

  • Individual faculty members could fill more than one role if they possess and want to apply additional areas of expertise.

Keeping Students Focused on Learning

Competency-based approaches to teaching at KU
April 21st, 2 – 3:30 pm CST Via Zoom
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