by William (Bill) Ryan

1. William J. Ryan, Ph.D.
Executive Director: Learn on Demand
KCTCS Teaching & Learning Institute
Transition to competency-based instruction:
you are already there!

2. Many definitions – but essential components are:
Measures learning outcomes not seat-time
Students advance upon mastery
Competencies are explicit, measurable, and transferable
Programs are built around rigorous assessment methods
Enables personalized learning approaches
Leverage technology to personalize instruction and maximize
flexibility for learner
Linked to 3rd party assessments
Transforms the role of faculty
WHAT IS COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION?

3. CAN COMPETENCY BE USED?
Art History
Music

4. Traditional Approach CBE Approach
Student Advancement
Time Learning
Grades (scaled) Mastery
Location Specific Location Indifferent
Group-based Individualized
Program Delivery
Bundled (instruction &
assessment)
Unbundled
General Personalized
Instructors Mentors

5. • Outline modular course with
competencies
• Draft modular assessments
• Map assessments and
instructional content
• Developer, Instructional
Designer (ID)
Draft Course
Plan
• Design Document outlined
• Developer, ID, Course Leader,
Project Team Leader (PTL)
Course Plan
Approved • LMS template generated
• Content created or External
content added as necessary
• Developer, ID
Development
• PTL, ID2 review course
• ID submits course to peer review
team
• Peer team evaluates and
submits feedback
Review • Adjustments made based on
peer feedback
• Developer, ID
Modify
• Module content copied into
module course shells
• Module overview, syllabi created
• Developer, ID
Copy Content
in Modules
 Outcomes are reviewed by faculty, designer, PTL
 Assessments designed to be integral to learning
process
 Peer reviewed by multiple faculty
 Student-centric
 Learning outcomes emphasize application and creation
of knowledge (competencies)
FOCUS ON QUALITY

6. It’s About Design
It’s about the student’s ability to apply basic and
other skills in situations that are commonly
encountered in everyday life.
• Students Advance upon Demonstrated
Mastery
• Explicit and Measurable Learning Objectives
Empower Students
• Assessment Is Meaningful and a Positive
Learning Experience for Students
• Students Receive Rapid, Differentiated
Support
• Learning Outcomes Emphasize Include
Application and Creation of Knowledge

7. • Promotes individualized learning
and multiple levels of engagement.
• Saves time by earning credit for life
and work experience. Assessments
focus on skill demonstration.
• Increases confidence as students
advance upon mastery.
• Incorporates assessment as an
active, meaningful and positive
learning experience.
CBE…

8. Experts Say…
“For many students, assessment is not an
educational experience in itself, but a
process of ‘guessing what the teacher
wants.’”
(McLaughlin & Simpson, 2004)

9. Traditional vs. Authentic Assessment
Traditional
Curriculum drives
assessment.
1. Body of knowledge is
determined first
2. Curriculum is developed
3. Assess to determine if
acquisition of the
curriculum occurred
Authentic
Assessment drives the
curriculum.
1. Tasks are determined first
2. Success criteria are defined
3. Assessments are developed
4. Curriculum development
begins

10. Authentic assessment encourages the integration of
teaching, learning and assessing.
Teaching
Learning
Assessing

11. What is Authentic Assessment?
A form of assessment
in which students are
asked to perform
real-world tasks that
demonstrate
meaningful
application of
essential knowledge
and skills
Jon Mueller

12. An authentic assessment
includes an authentic task
for students to perform. And a scoring guide/rubric by
which their performance on
the task will be evaluated.
Authentic assessments

13. Assessment Characteristics
Traditional Authentic
Select a response Perform a task
Contrived Real life, contextual
Recall & recognition Construction & application
Faculty focused Student focused
Indirect evidence Direct evidence
Assessments…

14. Traditional vs. Authentic Assessment
Traditional Authentic
Multiple choice Inventories
True-false Peer rating / Self
rating
Fill in the blank Journals
Matching Portfolios
Drag-n-drop Discussions
Interview

15. Best Practice in Education
 Encourage contact between students and faculty
 Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students
 Encourages active learning
 Give prompt feedback on performance
 Emphasizes time on task
 Communicates high expectations
 Respects diverse talents and ways of learning
----A.W. Chickering & Z.F. Gamson, 1987. AAHE.
Authentic Assessments…

16. Step 1
• Identify what you want your students to
demonstrate and be able to do.
Step 2
• Identify the criteria for the task (what does
success look like?)
Step 3
• Select the task(s) (standards) to perform or
produce in order to to demonstrate success.
Step 4
• Create a rubric to measure performance on
the task.
Authentic Assessments are integral to CBE

17. Content
Outcomes
Value
Outcomes
Process
Outcomes
Outcomes come in different flavors
Process outcomes describe skills
students should develop to
enhance the process of learning.
They are not specific to a
particular discipline, but are
applicable to any discipline.
Content Outcomes
describe what students
should be able to
describe and/or do
within the content of a
specific subject area or
at the intersection of
two or more subject
areas.
Value Outcomes describe attitudes and belief structures identified for change.

18. • What is the desired outcome?
• Outcomes are a description of what a student
is expected to attain in order to meet a
specified learning outcome or objective.
Outcomes are typically one-sentence statements of
what students should know and be able to do at a
certain point.
1. Begin with the end in mind!
Step 1
• Identify what you want your students to demonstrate
and be able to do.

19. STEP 3: Identify the Criteria for the Task
• Characteristics of a Good Criterion
clearly stated
brief
observable
statement of behavior
written in a manner students understand
Step 2
• Identify the criteria for the task (what does success
look like?)

20. 1. Begin with the end in mind!
• To get to the desired outcome define the steps,
standards, of what student should be able to
demonstrate.
Standards are typically more narrow in scope and
more amenable to assessment than goals.
Use the 5 Why’s!
Step 3
• Select the task(s) (standards) to perform or produce in
order to to demonstrate success.

21. Authentic responses include…
Constructed-response items
In response to a prompt, students construct an answer from
old and new knowledge.
Performances
In response to an assignment, students construct a performance that reveals their understanding of
certain concepts and skills and/or their ability to apply, analyze, synthesize or evaluate those
concepts and skills.
Products
In response to an assignment or series of prompts, students construct a substantial, tangible
product that reveals their understanding of certain concepts and skills and/or their ability to apply,
analyze, synthesize or evaluate those concepts and skills.

22. A rubric has two key
components: criteria and
levels of performance.
Every rubric has at least
two criteria and at least
two levels of performance.
The criteria, characteristics
of good performance on a
task, are listed in the left-
hand column in the rubric.
Criteria Poor (1) Good (2) Excellent (3)
Number of Sources x1 1-4 5-9 10-12
Historical Accuracy x3 Lots of historical
inaccuracies
Few inaccuracies No apparent
inaccuracies
Organization x1 Can not tell from
which source
information came
Can tell with
difficulty where
information came
from
Can easily tell
which sources info
was drawn from
Bibliography x1 Bibliography
contains very little
information
Bibliography
contains most
relevant
information
All relevant
information is
included
Step 4
• Create a rubric to measure performance on the
task.

23. Let’s start with a classic – how to
make a PB&J sandwich!
So let’s try this!

24. Step 1
• Identify what you want your students to
demonstrate and be able to do.
Step 2
• Identify the criteria for the task (what does
success look like?)
Step 3
• Select the task(s) (standards) to perform or
produce in order to to demonstrate success.
Step 4
• Create a rubric to measure performance on
the task.
Authentic Assessments are integral to CBE

25.  1 Collect your ingredients. You will want peanut butter, some jam or jelly, and
some bread. You may also want to grab some butter, as butter can enhance the
flavor of the sandwich. There are lots of different kinds of bread and spreads to
choose from, so you'll have to do a little experimenting to know what you like.
• Lots of types of peanut butter come with lots of added sugar and partially hydrogenated oils that are bad
for your health. If you're looking for a healthier option, try an organic peanut butter. Natural peanut
butter may have a layer of oil on top, but if you carefully stir it in when you open in the jar and then keep
the jar of peanut butter in the refrigerator, the oil will not separate out again.
• There are lots and lots of flavors for jellies and jams. The two most commonly used are grape and
strawberry. However, you could branch out to a sharper taste like raspberry, or a mixture of several
different kinds.
• For you bread you'll probably want something that doesn't overwhelm your other flavors (like a rye or
sourdough), so you'll probably want to go for plain whole wheat or white
They did not add in a knife… need the tools of the trade. Clean up mess
supplies too? And is “bread” acceptable or do you need a specific kind? Need
to know vs nice to know makes a difference. And is anyone allergic? Condition
of work space and learner community need to be defined too.

26.  2 Spread peanut butter evenly onto one slice of bread using
a knife. You'll decide how much peanut butter you want, but if
you're going to be taking the sandwich somewhere, you'll
probably want to do a little light on the peanut butter,
otherwise it will get everywhere before you get to eat it.
• Stir your peanut butter beforehand to soften it and make it easier to spread on
the bread slice. Another tip for spreading peanut butter, especially the kind with
peanuts in it, is to put some of the peanut butter in a bowl and microwave it on
high for about 20 seconds. It will spread on the bread like soft butter.
• If you do use butter, you'll put the butter on the same slice of bread as the
peanut butter, before you put the peanut butter on

27.  3 Spread jelly or jam evenly onto the other slice of bread.
You'll want to use a teaspoon or knife. Again, unless you're
going to be eating it right there, and you really like jelly, try to
avoid overwhelming your sandwich with jam.
 4 Press the two slices of bread together. To avoid having the
peanut butter and jam run everywhere, do this quickly. A good
way is to take both slices at the same time and quickly press
them together

28.  5 Cut the sandwich. The best way to cut the sandwich is
diagonal, from one corner to another, giving you two triangle
shaped pieces. Otherwise, you can cut directly across the
sandwich, leaving you with two rectangular shaped pieces.

29. William J. Ryan, Ph.D., Executive Director
: william.ryan@kctcs.edu