At a time when many community colleges are still struggling post-pandemic, Calbright has received a great deal of recognition this year for our climbing enrollment and completion numbers. But a new article in Online Education goes deeper, noting how unique Calbright is in the field of online higher ed.
It notes that after an initial period of slow growth, Calbright has more than doubled enrollment and completion since this time last year, and essentially quintupled them over the past four. But it spends significantly more time talking about how Calbright is a leader in Competency-Based Education, noting:
To the surprise of many observers, Calbright threw out the entire Carnegie credit hour system—and threw out grading and degrees along with it. Instead, the college substitutes a competency-based education (CBE) model, which awards academic credit towards certificates based not on time but on the demonstrated mastery of clearly defined competencies.
Calbright officials point out that their CBE model’s individualized and flexible online instruction enables students to master material as quickly as they are able, which for thousands of students could be much sooner than a traditional college’s 15-week semester. Students can take extra time at a slower pace on difficult lessons, but they can also move swiftly through easier lessons they already understand.
That flexible pacing offers an attractive benefit to Calbright’s target market of busy working-age adults. It can help them reduce the time they need to invest to earn their credentials. Calbright says that working adults studying only five hours a week can complete most of its certificate programs in less than a year, but a full-time student could earn a certificate in as little as two months.
That’s just the beginning.
Take a look at the article and see how Calbright’s differences from traditional education are powering our success and supporting adult learners.
