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This was the perfect time to take an honest look at our college and our way of serving students and say to ourselves “we have to do better.” ALIGN provided a year-long process to look at all of our data; it was a serious review for change. Students need as many opportunities as possible, and CBE models provide for that. If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that students and colleges can pivot to flexible instructional delivery models. ALIGN, as a CBE platform, does that for us.

There’s been this false dichotomy in education that you’re either teaching skills or you’re teaching general education, with no overlap between the two. Our college believes ALIGN is about bringing those things together. 

We think the best way to become a critical thinker, a good communicator, and technically proficient is to contextually learn the whole continuum of skills. That’s why we are exploring career clusters and bridging workforce, general education, and technical programs. 

We have been siloed for too long. We don’t make it easy for students to see the relevance of the courses they are taking to their career aspirations. Our ALIGN recommendations include forming Career Clusters in healthcare, IT, etc., embedding workforce, general education, and technical programs together. We want to contextualize the instruction and personalize the student experience. This collaboration enhances faculty teaching because the CBE model gives faculty better diagnostic abilities. A second reason CBE is important, particularly for general education faculty, is that it helps faculty clearly articulate the value of courses. 

ALIGN can help faculty show the immense value of their courses by identifying clearly measurable competencies.

I was a faculty member for over 20 years. Students today are radically different than when I started in the 1990s. The CBE model facilitates acceleration, honoring what students already know with better diagnostic tools and more flexible ways to learn. By incorporating CBE, I am very optimistic about significantly improving student access and success at my college and across ��ݮ��å��Ƶ.

A central part of our mission is being student-centered. CBE is a vital component. As there is a great deal of data behind this model, that is where we started. At first, we included folks who are forward thinking and consistently looking to improve student success. We looked at the data-backed impact. We talked through the data and the flexibility of this model. We also explored concerns and had conversations with colleges successfully implementing CBE. 

A major part of this is the diagnostic value, allowing faculty to see the skills and competencies the students have when they begin the course if they are building them in the course. When a student earns a grade, let’s say a C in a course, research shows they may not be successful in the next course. With a CBE model, faculty teaching that next course will know exactly what skills need to be further developed with their students and direct the instruction in a more personalized way. This is a game changer for improving student success. Further, we consistently hear industry and student feedback on accelerating learning. CBE is a clear solution.

I am very proud that faculty and staff at our college are interested in exploring this innovative model.

I recently met with a group of employers, and they outlined a new set of technical skills needed for more sophisticated automation they are installing in their plants. They were interested in more than training, as they want to support their employees earning a degree. I had to carefully manage expectations knowing it will likely take us a year or more to get these curricular adjustments developed and approved with all the processes we have. This is not supporting employers and moving at the speed of business. Implementing a CBE model will provide direct links to workforce training, incorporate set competencies, and allow for greater efficiency. Training will contribute to the employees earning a degree.

First, the way ��ݮ��å��Ƶ designed ALIGN was one of the most comprehensive and engaging planning processes I have experienced. All core areas, such as student support services, business services, IT, and our instructional units, were part of this on an equal basis. The strand teams were faculty and staff from all 16 colleges.

As a CBE model impacts the entire college enterprise, we had over 200 faculty and staff deeply engaged. Most initiatives have maybe a working group of 6-7. This wasn’t that. We had a very clear set of phases across the 12 months of planning. We started with foundational learning about CBE, then researched and identified the data we needed to collect across the system. The data review process revealed so many things. 

The data review was worth it just for the revealing outcomes. The data tells us we need to change. We learned just 17% of our students are finishing within three years. We have over 200 different General Education courses. Sixty-nine percent of faculty surveyed indicated they don’t have consistent learner outcomes. We learned we have 489 different credentials offered across the system. This process helped us ask deeper questions.  My advice is to take 10-12 months to plan and to engage every core function across the college to be part of the planning team. 

Having strong leadership is critical. Our college president has experience with CBE. His message from the beginning was let’s do this and not be talking about doing this five years from now. He continues to back that message with dedicated resources. I also think academic leadership and the deans across the college have got to be part of the planning. My last lesson learned is this: Planning is critical. Many initiatives fall short or fail, but now we have a playbook for how to avoid that and solid data directing our focus. We’re excited about CBE. Any provosts out there considering CBE at scale, please know I’m available to help!