Designing Competency-based PLA Pathways to Scale Up Completion and Learner Success

Abstract

SUNY Empire State College will combine Competency-Based Education (CBE) with Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). Using Flatworld, a competency-based learning platform, faculty teams will develop CBE PLA for: a) SUNY Transfer Path areas of Business, Computer Science, and Criminal Justice/Criminology; b) developmental skills in basic communications and mathematics to align with SUNY General Education learning outcomes; and c) workplace learning acquired through the Center for Disability Services in Human Services/ Human Services Management. The professional development for competency development and CBE PLA application process will be documented for consistency across teams and to share outside of this project. An advisory board consisting of faculty and administrators from other SUNY institutions will provide input on the development process and feedback on the end results. This open source project will provide a model for future CBE and CBE PLA development that can be used across other institutions.