The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General has pumped the brakes on competency-based education, partially due to concerns about the level of interaction between instructors and students in some of those programs.
Last week the inspector general issued a critical audit on the review process that the Higher Learning Commission, the largest regional accreditor, undertook while considering colleges’ proposals for new competency-based credentials.
The audit builds on similar concerns the inspector general raised last year. It could have a chilling effect on competency-based education’s growth, said experts and advocates for such programs. More than 600 institutions are in the design phase for a new competency-based credential or already offer them.
“This is a totally arcane issue that could have a huge impact on how we offer different kinds of education,” said Amy Laitinen, deputy director for higher education at New America and a former official at the White House and the Education Department. “Folks are going to be really nervous.”
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/10/05/us-inspector-general-criticizes-accreditor-over-competency-based-education
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