Dissertation
Designing a competency-based degree for post-traditional students at a private, nonprofit university
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Nov 2016
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-7258
Abstract
Every college wants its graduates to be competent and successful. However, employers often complain that students are ill-prepared for the workforce. To address that issue, competency based education extends beyond teaching basic knowledge toward enabling individuals to develop the skills and abilities to apply that knowledge. This educational approach may be well suited for post-traditional students-defined by the American Council on Education as learners over 24 years old-who seek career advancement. However, few colleges offer self-paced, competency-based programs that enable working adults to fit education into their busy lives. This qualitative case study examined why one private, nonprofit university decided on particular options for a new competency-based degree for post traditional students. The conceptual framework for this research focused on the internal and external factors influencing the design of the career-oriented, competency-based programs. The research questions examined the impact of the university's mission, changing regulations, and internal economics and policies on the program design. This single-case design involved five embedded units of analysis at one university: three colleges, the administrative directors, and the executive team. Twenty-five interviews were conducted and three years of meeting minutes, presentations, policy statements, reports, and key correspondences were collected and analyzed. The university wanted a competency-based program to provide its post-traditional students with a self-paced option. To accomplish that goal, an existing online degree was redesigned into a self-paced, competency-based modality. During the design period, the requirements for regional accreditation and federal student aid continued to evolve for competency-based education. Nonetheless, designing the academics was easier than administrating the self-paced program. When the new degree was piloted, the university found demand for it was uncertain. The student in the pilot dropped out of the competency-based program and switched into a traditional one in the first term. Additional students have not enrolled. The university is now seeking ways to incorporate the convenience of self-paced studies into existing programs, rather than a separate competency-based degree. The recommendations from this study include "start anytime" online courses and progressive micro credentials that would provide somewhat self-paced options.
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Details
- Title
- Designing a competency-based degree for post-traditional students at a private, nonprofit university
- Creators
- Nancy A. McDonald - DU
- Contributors
- Jennifer H. Adams (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)William F. Lynch (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xi, 207 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 7258; 991014632533804721