Abstract
Adult learners need to leverage time and money when seeking a college degree. Competency-based degree programs provide an opportunity for adult learners to save time and money by progressing through a degree at their own pace. Capstone courses connect prior learning in coursework with real-world experiences and create valuable connections between work and classroom experience. This chapter addresses competency-based degree plans and application-based capstone courses for undergraduate university students. Examples of competency-based degree plans and capstone courses will be discussed. Inclusion in the discussion will be prior learning assessment courses and ways capstone courses create professional connections for the adult learner.
TopOrganization Background
Purdue University Global offers free online services and personalized mentoring to help learners identify and organize prior work and life experience and skills that could count toward a degree or move them closer to a new career. Purdue University Global is an excellent option for adult learners looking to enhance existing skills and/or complete a degree. Purdue University Global addresses a growing trend in competency-based education and the need to create affordable, flexible learning options for adult learners. Purdue University Global has reduced the economic barriers allowing individuals to pursue learning to enhance their academic and professional interests. The implications for institutions of higher education lie in establishing ways to improve access and reduce cost for individuals pursing higher education with a design to meet academic and professional needs (Open College, Purdue University Global, 2020).
Featuring a monthly subscription-based tuition model, Purdue University Global extends the current open courses offered by Purdue University Global to students who are interested in seeking a degree, as well as responds to the increasing accessibility of other open learning resources. The college is geared toward adult learners interested in a highly flexible degree and who have prior learning experience or college-level credits. Students in the college may complete a Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies (BSPr) degree or an Associate of Science in Professional Studies (APSr) degree.
Purdue University Global learners are encouraged to:
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Assess for their prior learning and college credit
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Define their learning goals in academic and career term
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Identify the remaining credits needed
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Find the open education resources that, coupled with Purdue University Global’s support and assessment, will fill the gap toward the degree
This flexible approach to higher education aligns with the needs of adult learners who are often limited in terms of time and financial resources to complete their degree. The BSPr and ASPr degrees are competency-based degree programs which is a growing trend in higher education. According to the U.S. Department of Education (2020), “Competency-based strategies provide flexibility in the way that credit can be earned or awarded, and provide students with personalized learning opportunities. These strategies include online and blended learning, dual enrollment and early college high schools, project-based and community-based learning, and credit recovery, among others,” (p.1). Relevancy is important to adult learners as they seek connections between the classroom and real-world experiences. “This type of learning leads to better student engagement because the content is relevant to each student and tailored to their unique needs. It also leads to better student outcomes because the pace of learning is customized to each student,” (U.S. Department of Education, 2020, p.1). The “show what you know” approach to learning creates connections between experience and classroom learning.
Key Terms in this Chapter
ILP (Individualized Learning Plan): This term describes the outline of the student’s curriculum for the completion of the Professional Studies degree programs.
ILP Coordinator: This term is used to describe full-time faculty member who assist BSPr or ASPr students with completing their ILPs. Also, responsibilities include providing students with resources to prepare for PANeLs and course assessments.
Holistic: This term is used to describe an integrated knowledge structure or an approach to learning that recognizes that knowledge needs to be integrated.
Collaborative Learning: This term is used to refer to students working on a computer-based learning program that requires them to collaborate by, for example, taking different roles, operating different controls, etc.
BSPr: This term refers to the Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies degree.
Work/Life Balance: This term refers to creating a balance between achievement and enjoyment. Work can also refer to tasks that need to be completed in the household in addition to a formal place of employment.
Capstone Course: This course provides students a chance to demonstrate mastery of concepts from coursework completed throughout the program of study.
Open Course: This term refers to a free Web-based course that is designed for the participation of large numbers of geographically dispersed students. Professional Studies degree students may take Purdue University Global open courses or open courses from other sources. Students taking open courses from other sources must demonstrate competency in the subject. This may involve successful completion of a Purdue University Global developed assessment.
Assessment Advisor: This term is used to describe member of the Open College at Purdue University Global team who assists BSPr or ASPr students in scheduling course assessment, PANeLs, payments, and overall student support.
Experiential Knowledge/Learning: This term describes knowledge gained through experience/learning through experience. Contrasts, and moreover conflicts, with academic knowledge and learning through instruction.
Activity Assignments: This term refers to the assignments students need to complete to earn credit for a PANeL. The assignments align directly to each of the course outcomes.
Open Electives: This term is used to describe courses that relate to any subject matter. This generally is the area where transfer credits and open course credit without Purdue University Global equivalents are entered.
MOOC: An online course with the option of free and open registration, a publicly-shared curriculum, and open-ended outcomes. MOOCs integrate social networking, accessible online resources, and are facilitated by leading practitioners in the field of study. Most significantly, MOOCs build on the engagement of learners who self-organize their participation according to learning goals, prior knowledge and skills, and common interests.
Panel: BSPr or ASPr students may use the Portfolio Assessment of New Learning (PANeL) to document college-level learning acquired from resources such as open educational resources, MOOCs, video courses, textbooks, etc. to gain the knowledge and skills needed to meet the outcomes of a course described in their Individual Learning Plan (ILP). A PANeL is a portfolio created by the student that houses evidence of college-level learning that will be assessed to potentially award college credit for a Purdue University Global equivalent course.
Purdue University Global Equivalents: This term refers to transfer courses that meet the requirements to be equal to a Purdue University Global course.
Major Elective/Major Requirements: These terms refer to courses chosen by the student that support their career goal statement and relate to the field of study.
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): To ensure that students meet the Purdue University Global equivalent course outcomes, we search out faculty members who are subject matter experts in the specific disciplines to develop assessment of new learning (activity assignments) that aligns with the Purdue University Global course outcomes.
ASPr: This term refers to the Associate of Science in Professional Studies degree.