AN ASSESSMENT-BASED DEGREE

November 1, 2012WCET Annual Conference

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The Iron Triangle

Quality

Cost

Access

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Scalability of Content

Open Educational Resources: accessible to millions

Independent Study Requires that learners be self-

motivated

Lecture notes Videos of classroom lectures Lessons designed for OER Courses Discussion groups

Types of OER

Khan Academy

Physics lecture

Open University

OpenStudy

Learning Certificates

But… OER by itself does not typically

award formal educational credit

Why not?

What is OER’s value?

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Academic credit

What is credit? Assurance that someone knows

something The something must be appropriate for

the particular academic program To provide that assurance, both the

someone and the something must be verified

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Decoupling assessment from the classroom

“What you know is more important than where or how you learned it.”

Credit should be based on knowledge, not attendance

Knowledge gained through independent study can be independently assessed

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Aspects of validity for credit by assessment

Identity verification

Assessment quality

Appropriateness of knowledge tested for a particular degree program

Scalability

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Identity verification

Ryan Ruppe

Steve Winton

Jeffery Turner

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Threats to validity--courses

Did the person actually go through the course?

Did the person do his/her own work? Is the person who took the course the

same person who is presenting the credential?

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Threats to validity--assessments

Is the person taking the assessment the same person who is claiming the knowledge?

Is the person claiming the knowledge the same person who is presenting the credential?

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Assessment quality

A good assessment Measures knowledge of the subject Does not measure irrelevant characteristics Gives a person the same score regardless

of which form is taken Gives people of the same ability the same

score

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Threats to assessment quality Assessments may not measure quite the

same content as the material studied Not all things in the world labeled

“Sociology” cover the same topics! Assessments may not cover material in

enough depth A 10-question quiz is unlikely to cover the

equivalent of a college semester’s worth of content

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Threats to assessment quality The assessment might not be scored

consistently enough Different instructors have different

standards Assessments might measure irrelevant

characteristics Unnecessarily complicated questions Questions with “giveaway” answers Trick questions

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Appropriateness of content

Match of assessment to OER How close are the assessment

specifications to the learning objectives of the OER material?

Match of assessment to credit-granting body How close are the assessment

specifications/learning objectives to what is taught at the institution where credit is sought?

Efficient assessment

Machine-scored competency/proficiency exams can handle large numbers of examinees and be used for multiple OER sources

Machine-scored exams need not measure simply mindless regurgitation of facts

For some types of OER, more specific assessments may be needed Portfolios for highly specialized content

Cost of a 3-credit multiple-choice assessment:

$95-305

Scalability - Generalizability

Course final exams and homework

Third-party assessments designed for a specific course

Competency/proficiency assessments

Less generalizable

More generalizable

Scalability – Large groups

Individual assessments Portfolios Research papers Oral examinations

Human-scored group assessments Short answer questions Essay questions

Machine-scored assessments Multiple-choice exams Machine-scored constructed response

exams

Less scalable

More scalable

A model for low-cost education

OER University

What is Charter Oak State College?

Founded in 1973 in Connecticut Enrollment about 2,000 Over 11,000 degrees awarded, with alumni

from all 50 states and a dozen countries Partnerships with military branches Associate and Baccalaureate degrees New England Association of Schools and

Colleges accreditation

What is Charter Oak State College?

Aggregation model - with Cornerstone and Capstone Outcome assessment courses Writing, research, program planning

Transfer credit CBE, portfolio assessment, ACE and

National CCRS, CCAP, institutionally reviewed training and certifications

Student ProfileCONCENTRATION PLAN OF STUDY (CPS) FORM

Business Administration

MINIMUM SUBJECT REQUIREMENTS

MINIMUM REQUIRED CREDITS

SOURCE: TEST OR INSTITUTION

COURSE/TEST NO. & TITLE GRADE

Number and Level of Credits Propose

Lower Upper

Accounting:Financial *

3 credits CLEP Financial Accounting

Prop (3)  

Managerial * 3 credits StraighterLine Managerial Acct. B 3  

Finance:Principles * orManagerial * orCorporate

3 credits DSST Prin. Finance Prop (3)  

Management:Organizational Behavior

3 credits Excelsior Coll. Organizational Behav

Prop    3

Management:Intro/Principles Management*

3 credits Northwood U. MGT 230 Prin. Mgt. A 2.7  

Marketing:Principles of Marketing*

3 credits Northwood U. MKT 208 Prin. Mark.

C+ 2.7  

Strategic Processes Capstone Course

3 credits COSC MGT 499 Strategic Management

Prop   3

Program Planning

Hi Karen,

As per your request, I've included a list below of tests/ independent studies courses I am planning on taking for my degree. • Pending exams/courses:

• Cornerstone course (IDS 101)- in progress• College Algebra - Straighterline, in progress• English Composition II - Straighterline, in progress• Mgmt Info Systems - DSST (area of concentration)• Environment & Humanity – DSST• *Business Ethics in Society - DSST (UL area of concentration)• Organizational Behavior - Excelsior Exam(UL area of

concentration)• Principles of Public Speaking - DSST

 

Class of 2011-12 & CBE

2011-12 Charter Oak State College Graduates:

Graduates Average of Test CountAverage of Test Credit Hours

No Testing 310 64%

Took 1 or more tests 176 5.23 17.64 36%

Grand Total 486 5.23 17.64

What Is Excelsior College?

Independent institution serving adult students and other non-traditional learners since 1971

Enrollment 34,000; alumni 141,000 Up to one-third of EC students are

Members of historically under-represented groups

Military or veterans Average age of graduates: late 30s Associate, Baccalaureate, and Masters degrees Middle States accreditation

What Is Excelsior College?

Aggregation model EC online courses (available since 2004) Two national exam series developed in house: ECE and

UExcel Transfer credit

Consistently ranked #1 or #2 in acceptance of credit from other accredited institutions

Other CBE, portfolio assessment, ACE and National CCRS, institutionally reviewed training and certifications

Largest pre-licensure nursing program in the country, entirely assessment based

Excelsior College Exam-Based Degree Paths

New degree pathways emphasize Excelsior’s own CBE products, along with a single required Capstone course

Degree planning templates show suggested sequence of exams; students with transfer credit have wider choices

Supported Independent Study model is based on Open Courseware options reviewed and recommended for all exams

Initial degree templates for BS and BA in Liberal Studies and AS and BS in General Business

Sample ASB Degree Template

(ETC ASB example)

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Infrastructure Needs

Common definitions of assessment-based learning among the Regional Accreditors

Access to Federal Financial Aid Proposal: a demonstration program that

lets a set of low cost assessment approaches prove their merits.

National Database of existing credential and training assessments

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A New Narrative

We need to add a chapter to the higher education biography.

The story begins with Socratic learning, moves to libraries, adds faculty, morphs universities, carves land grants from the wilderness, upscales adult education into Community Colleges, and invests in for-profits.

Now the story must add competency-based credentialing