Competence Based Curriculum And E Learning In Higher Education

Higher education is characterized by ubiquitous digital technologies and e-learning that are inevitably influencing the development of core competencies and professional skills requirements. There is a need to focus on the synergy between responsive curriculum implementation and e-learning delivery in the context of effective pedagogical practices and optimal integration of digital technologies. Similarly, we need to reexamine higher education practices towards innovative pedagogies and effective e-learning design. Competence-Based Curriculum and E-Learning in Higher Education brings together researchers in the field of education and professionals who design and deliver online learning in higher education to share paradigms, perspectives, insights, contextualized experiences, challenges, and best practices. Covering topics such as mobile learning activities, student interaction promotion, and social media technologies, this major reference work is a comprehensive resource for instructional designers, faculty, administrators and educators of higher education, students in teaching programs, IT managers, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

"While E-Learning has great potential to enhance accessibility, quality, and flexibility, on its own it is not sufficient to stimulate engaged learning and lead to development of core competences that are pivotal for 21st learning. Consequently, we need to rethink how we can adopt innovative pedagogical strategies while leveraging on digital technologies for responsive curriculum implementation and meaningful learning. The primary objective of this book is to bring together researchers in the field of education and professionals who design and deliver online learning in higher education to share paradigms, perspectives, insights, contextualized experiences, challenges, and best practices"--

The majority of adult learners are looking to attain their desired academic credentials within the shortest amount of time possible. By implementing competency-based programs, learners are accelerated through their designed program or course. The Handbook of Research on Competency-Based Education in University Settings is a pivotal reference source for the latest academic research on the use of competency-based testing in higher education institutions. Focusing on innovative practices, strategies, and real-world scenarios, this book is ideally designed for educators, students, administrators, professionals, and academics interested in emerging developments for competency-based education initiatives.

Despite the promise of competency-based education (CBE), learner-centered issues related to support, retention, and program completion rates remain problematic. In addition, the infrastructure for higher education, including issues related to faculty (intellectual property, workload, and curriculum), pose barriers and challenges in the design, development, implementation, and delivery of CBE. In response, administrators, faculty, designers, and developers of competency-based experiences must incorporate innovative strategies that are foreign to the traditional institution. A strong emphasis on retention and graduation rates must surround the student with support, starting with the design and development of the CBE system. There are few resources that can help prepare instructional designers, advisors, academic administrators, and faculty to meet the many challenges of designing, developing, implementing, and managing CBE. Career Ready Education Through Experiential Learning is an essential reference book that includes strategies for design and development of competency-based education (CBE) programs, as well as administrative and delivery strategies as examples of how CBE can be implemented. Through a strong theoretical framework, chapters present the best practices, strategies, and practical tips as examples and scenarios that can be used in higher education settings. While highlighting education courses, programs, and lessons across various institutions and educational domains, this book is ideal for higher education administrators and policy designers/implementors, instructional designers, curriculum developers, faculty, public policy leaders, students in curriculum and instruction and instructional technology programs, along with researchers and practitioners interested in CBE and experiential learning in higher education.

"Informed by an intimate knowledge of a social literacies perspective, this book is full of profound insights and unexpected connections. Its scholarly, clear-eyed analysis of the role of new media in higher education sets the agenda for e-learning research in the twenty-first century" Ilana Snyder, Monash University "This book offers a radical rethinking of e-learning … The authors challenge teachers, course developers, and policy makers to see e-learning environments as textual practices, rooted deeply in the social and intellectual life of academic disciplines. This approach holds great promise for moving e-learning past its focus on technology and 'the learner' toward vital engagement with fields of inquiry through texts." Professor David Russell, Iowa State University Challenging e-learning in the University takes a new approach to the growing field of e-learning in higher education. In it, the authors argue that in order to develop e-learning in the university we need to understand the texts and practices that are involved in learning and teaching using online and web-based technologies. The book develops an approach which draws together social and cultural approaches to literacies, learning and technologies, illustrating these in practice through the exploration of case studies. It is key reading for educational developers who are concerned with the promises offered, but rarely delivered, with each new iteration of learning with technologies. It will also be of interest to literacies researchers and to HE policy makers and managers who wish to understand the contexts of e-learning.

Praise for Saving Higher Education "At last a book that answers one of higher education's most burning questions: How do we provide America a cheaper, faster undergraduate experience without cheating on the old family recipe and compromising standards? At a time when challenges of college value, quality, and mission are high on the public agenda and an unprecedented number of institutions are exploring three-year degree programs, we are provided a road map that maintains academic integrity by focusing on learning outcomes rather than process inputs. Bravo and about time. This book will add value and inform the thinking of all stakeholders, even the most skeptical of faculty. A three-year baccalaureate aligns the academy with the needs and aspirations of the future. While enhancing effectiveness, it affords students what they want and need while meeting the national agenda for socially and economically productive citizens." Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, president emeritus and University Professor of Public Service, George Washington University "This book provides a powerful model of how to redesign a university in the interests of student learning. The authors' proposed curriculum model addresses many of the fundamental dysfunctions of higher education the fragmentation, incoherence, and unfocused activity that produces the dispiriting results of our enormous investment. They offer an evidence-based framework for reshaping our institutions to serve the goals we all wish to achieve while beginning to address the pervasive financial challenges that undermine our efforts. This book provides a vivid and stimulating analysis of how to think about and execute constructive change. Anyone concerned about the future of higher education should read it and learn from it." John Tagg, professor emeritus, Palomar College, and author, The Learning Paradigm College "This book offers one thoughtful approach to a high-quality education at a significantly lower cost. If educators respond, students will win." Margaret L. Drugovich, president, Hartwick College

Intended as a toolkit for academic administrators, faculty andresearchers to deal effectively with the rapid emergence ofcompetency-based learning models across higher education, thisvolume provides practical advice and proven techniques forimplementing and evaluating these models. Drawing from a recentNational Postsecondary Education Cooperative project that examineddata and policy implications across public and private institutionsas well as an industrial setting, readers will find an inventory ofstrong practices to utilize in evaluating competency-basedinitiatives. Issues discussed include practical concerns ofmeasuring and reporting competency; the critical connectionsbetween the skills employers seek and student preparation for them;the connections between distance education, accrediation, andcompetencies; and the difficult procedure of setting appropriatepassing standards for assessments. With a bibliography oncompetency literature and a framework for creating competencymodels, this volume is an invaluable tool to researchers andpractitioners alike. This is the 110th issue of the Jossey-Bass series NewDirections for Institutional Research.

As the paradigm of education in academia continues to shift towards more diversity and inclusion, educators need to consider incorporating a “both-and” mindset when designing relevant education models in adult education. In order to attain a cross-sector collaboration among diverse stakeholders, innovative education practice settings with instructional strategies that meet the learning needs of every student need to be evaluated and implemented. Competency-Based and Social-Situational Approaches for Facilitating Learning in Higher Education is a critical research resource that discusses project-based and social-situational instructional practices within community engagement as a method for educating adults. The approaches to designing and implementing learning activities show how to optimize community and business knowledge assets to collaboratively design and implement curricula in order to work toward social justice and community development. Divided into three sections, this publication provides extensive coverage on the design and delivery of academic programs, instructional approaches, and more, making it an ideal resource for professionals, adult education practitioners, faculty, administrators, community activists, researchers, and academicians.