UMUCHS-EM Graduate ProgramsCompetency Based Model

A Work in ProgressJune 2014

CHDS – EMI Higher Ed

Irmak Renda-Tanali, D.Sc.Collegiate ProfessorDirector, Homeland Security & Emergency ManagementThe Graduate SchoolIrmak.renda-tanali@umuc.edu240-684-2436

UMUC Current Offering Paths

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• Each have 15 credit core courses• ** Each have 21 credit courses

M.S. in Management*

M.S. in Technology

Management*

M.S. in Information Technology*

M.S. in International

Management*

Homeland Security

Management specialization**

Offered since 2005

EmergencyManagement

specialization**Offered since 2011

Homeland Security Management

certificate12 cr.

17%

42%

9%

20%

2%

5%

5%

Student headcount %

Student headcount %

17%

62%

22%

5%

68%

27%

5%

516 students

Competency Based Model

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Current Future

3 credit hour course 6 credit hour course/semester

12 weeks/3 semesters 11 weeks/4 semesters

5 core courses + 7 specialization courses

1 schoolwide foundation course*+ 5 specialization courses

Pass/fail assessments Repeat assessments until pass

No targeted assessments Each assessment maps to multiple competencies

A midterm and a final exam Profession-related activities/assessments

Standalone courses Modules for specific competencies that will be shared across multiple [discipline] programs

*All students take 6 cr. foundation course (4 learning goals: communication; quantitative reasoning; critical thinking; & leadership, facilitation, and collaboration)

CB Model

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competencies

Comp. A X X X

Comp. B X X X

Comp. C X X X

Comp. D X X X

Comp. E X X X X

Project P1

P2

P3

P4

P5

P6

P7

P8

etc.

Assessments (projects, tasks, quizzes, exams etc)

Map learning goals and competencies to

assessments

Assessments

Learning goals and

competencies

Scholar practitioners

employers

Professional organizations

Accre

diting

bodie

s

Standards-vetting

organizations

Competencies

abilities and

attitudes

skills

knowledge

Set of profession-relevant activities a student uses to both learn and demonstrate their mastery of specific competencies.

Sets of knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes students must master in order to complete their programs.

Through the program each competency should be evaluated a minimum of 3 times in 3 different assessments to ensure a high level of proficiency across multiple contexts

Hard Questions1. What are the core competencies for Homeland Security

and Emergency Management specialists?2. What jobs are most sought after (government and

industry)?3. Based on the industry demands should we combine HS

and EM or offer them separately? (Can we pair with other programs?)

4. What should be our niche? i.e. What should differentiate us from other HS/EM programs? What specific areas should we emphasize (keeping in mind the constraints UMUC’s mission, vision, technological capabilities, marketing/outreach policies etc.)

5. What should the [New] Name of the Program(s) be?

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Draft Learning Goals(Comprehensive Level)

1. Critical thinking and Analysis

2. Technologies and their application

3. Enterprise Risk Management and Critical Infrastructure

Protection

4. Communication

5. Training & Exercises

6. Laws/Authorities/Regulations/Policy

7. Leadership, Facilitation, Direction, Control, Coordination

and Collaboration

8. Program/Project Management/Planning and

implementation

9. Operations and Procedures

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Draft Learning Goals(Galactic Level)

Critical thinking and Analysis: Learners demonstrate the ability to apply logical decision making processes to identify problems in order to formulate solutions to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from crisis and emergency situations, while acknowledging the ethical, social, legal, and cost ramifications.Technologies and its application: Learners demonstrate the ability to discover and apply specific applications of advanced technologies, systems and services --telecommunications and information technologies and systems in particular for the protection, response and recovery of critical infrastructure/information in natural disaster, physical attack, and cyber-warfare situations. Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Learners demonstrate the ability to describe the current and emerging threats: including terrorism, manmade and natural disasters, chemical, biological and radiological; trace the history of various hazards and threats, risks and vulnerabilities associated with each; social, cultural, psychological, political and operational dynamics of threats; create all hazards versus threat/hazard specific risk assessment, impact analysis, hazard mitigation, and resiliency plans.Communication: Learners demonstrate the ability to communicate technical as well as emergency and risk related information to the public and to the response organizations both orally and in writing. Training & Exercises: Learners demonstrate the ability to develop training and exercise programs, evaluation; scenario-based situational awareness.

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Draft Learning Goals(Galactic Level)

Laws/Authorities/Regulations/Policy: Learners discuss the laws, authorities, regulations, and policies concerning homeland security issues and emergency management operations. Leadership, Facilitation, Direction, Control, Coordination and Collaboration: Learners lead, facilitate, collaborate within and across agencies consisting of a variety of individuals and organizational cultures to formulate solutions to major crisis and emergency situations Program/Project Management/Planning and implementation: Learners demonstrate the ability to perform management skills ranging from program management to human resource management to financial management to data and information management. Operations and Procedures: Learners demonstrate the ability to define types of hazards and threats, the historical phases and dimensions of Emergency Management, technical systems and standards that frame the HS-EM operating environment.

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Challenges ahead1. How is it possible to come up with a complete set of

competencies for these interdisciplinary fields?2. What are the agreed-upon competencies?3. How can you cover them in 30 credit hours?4. How do you reconcile the two programs?5. Is CBE model going to solve the problem of the

downward trend in student enrollments?6. Are there any successful examples?7. How much academic freedom will there be? (Courses

in a can?)8. How much substance and quality can we maintain?9. What are students looking to gain from academic

programs? Profession-specific competencies, practical knowledge or more theory?

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Challenges aheadTo be continued.

Thank you!

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