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Competency-Based Education: Solving Today’s Health Information and Technology Needs

Session 187, February 13, 2019

Amanda Hyde & Jessica Fisher, Manager- Program Faculty, Western Governors University

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The Dynamic Duo

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Jessica Fisher, PhD, MBA, MS, RHIAAmanda Hyde, PhD (c), MSML, BSN, RN

Has no real or apparent conflicts of interest to report.

Conflict of Interest

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Overview of Objectives

Today’s Need

What is CBE?

Why is it different?

Real World Scenario

CBE filling the HIT professional need

Questions

Agenda

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• Discuss the barriers preventing adults from being prepared for a

career in HIT

• Demonstrate how the use of Competency-Based Education better

prepares the learner for the health information technology-centered

career they desire

• Demonstrate, with real-world experiences, how CBE and online

learning can be leveraged to engage learners and empower them to

effectively manage time spent learning as well as their current work

experience

Learning Objectives

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• Explain why CBE has opposition and identify data that shows the

effectiveness of this learning approach regarding time to graduation,

job placement, and readiness

• Illustrate the capacity for improvement in regard to the HIT field, the

lack of prepared professionals and those desiring to become

educated by facilitating partnerships between healthcare

organizations’ CBE institutions.

Learning Objectives

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The American Hospital Association found:

• 89% of hospitals have openings in HIT jobs that remain

unfilled.

• Over the next decade the U.S. estimates the need for an

additional 111,000 healthcare professionals per year will be

needed to maintain the current standard of care.

https://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/04/08/10-industries-most-in-need-of-skilled-workers/

Today’s Need for HIT Professionals

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In 2018,

• software programmer jobs increased 34%

• computer systems analyst jobs increased 20%,

• 27% of managers expanded their IT departments by 20% or

more.

Today’s Need for HIT Professionals

https://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/04/08/10-industries-most-in-need-of-skilled-

workers/

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• Organizations are worried about being able to find enough

sufficiently prepared information technology professionals to

maintain growth over the coming decade.

• This makes careers in IT, computer science, and

programming smart moves for job security and availability, as

the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that one in 19 new

jobs created will be in the IT profession.

Today’s Need for HIT Professionals

https://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/04/08/10-industries-most-in-need-of-skilled-workers/

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Spady (1977) defines CBE as “a data‐based,

adaptive, performance‐oriented set of integrated

processes that facilitate, measure, record, and

certify within the context of flexible time

parameters the demonstration of known, explicitly

stated, and agreed upon learning outcomes that

reflect successful functioning in life roles.”

What is Competency Based Education?

Spady, W. G. (1977). Competency based education: A bandwagon in search of a definition. Educational

Researcher, 6(1), 9–14.

11The primary and the crucial difference between a competency based system and a traditional model. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://themapacademy.org/the-map-model/competency-based/

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• CBE education creates efficient pathways for grads to use

technology.

• Alternative teaching methods take advantage of learning

opportunities outside of traditional brick & mortar settings.

• Opportunities can be identified to target interventions meeting

the specific educational needs of the learner.

Department of Education Findings

U.S. Department of Education, (n.d.). Competency-Based Learning or Personalized Learning. Retrieved from

https://www.ed.gov/oii-news/competency-based-learning-or-personalized-learning

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Who is the typical CBE learner?

https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/Path-to-Success-Postsecondary-Competency-Based-Education-

Programs-Oct-2016.pdf

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37 years old

Works Full-time

Divorced, single mom

Worked in IT support for

17 years with an Associate

Degree

Introducing Ann…

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• Lack of time to devote to learning due to work, family, &

other obligations

• Inadequate financial resources such as money, inability to

receive FA, or student debt-issues

• No access to traditional educational opportunities needed

for advancement

Traditional Learning Barriers

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/edlife/degrees-based-on-what-you-can-do-not-how-long-you-went.html

Lumina Foundation & Gallup. (2013). America’s call for higher education redesign: The 2012 Lumina Foundation Study of the

American Public’s Opinion of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.luminafoundation.org/files/resources/americas-call-for-

higher-education-redesign.pdf

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• Flexible, customized and developmentally appropriate

method of instruction

• Allows learners to move through areas where work

experience can be utilized and provide more time for

learning in other needed areas.

• Acceleration for advanced students offsets financial burden.

• Many CBE organizations are regionally or nationally

accredited.

Why is CBE a good option?

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CBE works for Ann!

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• The Lumina Foundation found 7 out of 10 students feel

prepared to enter their careers after CBE.

• CBE students were confident in their skills and knowledge.

• In a 2015 study on CBE, one student commented, “My

favorite part is definitely the projects, the actual work. It is

different than being in an actual college class. It’s more real

world based. I feel like I’m actually learning things that will

help me with life in general.”

Are CBE students more prepared?

Lumina Foundation & Gallup. (2013). America’s call for higher education redesign: The 2012 Lumina Foundation Study of

the American Public’s Opinion of Higher Education. Retrieved from

https://www.luminafoundation.org/files/resources/americas-call-for-higher-education-redesign.pdf

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• 89% of hiring managers were more likely to consider CBE

grads as prospective hires.

• CBE students have a 2-10% higher completion rate than

traditional universities per the American Institute for

Research which means more professionals are

successfully completing their degrees.

Why CBE matters

Parsons, K., Mason, J., & Soldner, M. (2016, September). On the path to success: Early evidence about the efficacy of

postsecondary competency-based education programs. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. 71

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A study in 2015 found that greater than 50% of CBE

students finished classes faster than expected while

less than 20% were found to be moving slower.

Accelerators Slower paced Normally Paced

53%

16%

31%

http://younginvincibles.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Young-Invincibles-CBE-Paper.pdf

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Cost of CBE vs. Traditional Programs

• CBE prices tend to be less expensive than the traditional

programs; however, it is very dependent on the institution.

• A Brandman University student shared that his CBE

program was, “much cheaper than a public or private

institution… [I] would be paying at least what [I] was

expecting to pay for a whole degree for [the cost of] one

semester in a traditional program.”

Wang, Jennifer. (2015). The Student Perspective on Competency-Based Education: Qualitative Research on Support,

Skills, and Success. Retrieved from http://younginvincibles.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Young-Invincibles-CBE-

Paper.pdf

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Ann’s Decision

Competency Based Education Program

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• Lack of face to face interaction with peers.

• May not have professional or soft skills for teamwork,

networking, and emotional intelligence.

Opposition

• CBE platforms are now integrating real time peer-to-peer

collaboration, support, and better interaction with

instructors.

Support

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Opposition• Some feel competency can be difficult to measure as well as

knowing what new skills and information students must be

experts in for their respective field.

Support

• Subject matter experts in the field of study are utilized to help

build curriculum and competencies that must be mastered.

• Students are required to earn credit by demonstrating

knowledge and competency through objective assessments

and/or performance-based assessments.

Bates, Tony. (2014). Online learning & distance education. The strengths and weaknesses of competency-based learning

in a digital age. Retrieved from

https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/09/15/the-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-competency-based-learning-in-a-digital-age/

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• The Department of Education now recognizes CBE as an

effective approach to learning.

• Other higher education institutions are also getting onboard

with the Competency Based Education model.

Advocacy for CBE

Lumina Foundation & Gallup. (2013). America’s call for higher education redesign: The 2012 Lumina Foundation Study of the

American Public’s Opinion of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.luminafoundation.org/files/resources/americas-call-

for-higher-education-redesign.pdf

Ebersole, John. (2014) Competency vs. Mastery. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/07/25/lets-

differentiate-between-competency-and-mastery-higher-ed-essay

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Ann did it!!!

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• Typically, large savings on tuition.

• Less time spent on degrees

• More time spent with families.

• CBE can help meet the expected industry increase for HIT

and HIM professionals.

• Many CBE IT degree programs include professional

certifications which saves time and money.

Positives

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-records-and-health-information-technicians.htm#tab-6

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• CBE can fill the expected HIT professional need by

educating adults who face barriers to traditional learning

environments.

• Competency Based Education is recognized by the

Department of Education and is often regionally or

nationally accredited as a quality learning model.

• CBE can improve lives of adults by offering degrees which

are not dependent on time & location of learning.

https://www.ed.gov/oii-news/competency-based-learning-or-personalized-learning

Summing It Up

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Jessica Fisher PhD, MBA, MS, RHIA

Manager, Program Faculty - College of Health Professions

Western Governors University

1-385-428-6594

jessica.fisher@wgu.edu

Amanda Hyde, PhD (c), MSML, BSN, RN

Manager, Program Faculty - College of Health Professions

Western Governors University

1-385-428-8374

amanda.hyde@wgu.edu

Remember to complete online session evaluation

Questions

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Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act of 2014, HR 3136, 113th Cong. (July 23,

2014), www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/3136

Bates, Tony. (2014). Online learning & distance education. The strengths and weaknesses of competency-

based learning in a digital age. Retrieved from

https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/09/15/the-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-competency-based-learning-in-a-

digital-age/

Ebersole, John. (2014) Competency vs. Mastery. Retrieved from

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/07/25/lets-differentiate-between-competency-and-mastery-higher-

ed-essay

Franklin, C., Lytle, Robert. (2015) Employer perspectives on competency-based education. Washington, D.C:

American Institute Enterprise.

Hillman, Nicholas,and Taylor Weichman. (2016). Education Deserts: The Continued Significance of “Place” in

the Twenty -First Century. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.

Wang, Jennifer. (2015). The Student Perspective on Competency-Based Education: Qualitative Research on

Support, Skills, and Success. Retrieved from http://younginvincibles.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Young-

Invincibles-CBE-Paper.pdf

References

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Kamenetez, Anya. (2013). Are You Competent? Prove It. The New York Times, New York, NY. Retrieved

from https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/edlife/degrees-based-on-what-

you-can-do-not-how-long-you-went.html

Lumina Foundation & Gallup. (2013). America’s call for higher education redesign: The 2012 Lumina

Foundation Study of the American Public’s Opinion of Higher Education. Retrieved from

https://www.luminafoundation.org/files/resources/americas-call-for-higher-education-redesign.pdf

Parsons, K., Mason, J., & Soldner, M. (2016, September). On the path to success: Early evidence about the

efficacy of postsecondary competency-based education programs. Washington, DC: American Institutes for

Research. 71

Spady, W. G. (1977). Competency based education: A bandwagon in search of a definition. Educational

Researcher, 6(1), 9–14.

While the job market is making a recovery. (2018, n.d.) Retrieved from

https://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/04/08/10-industries-most-in-need-of-skilled-workers/

The primary and the crucial difference between a competency based system and a traditional model. (n.d.).

Retrieved from https://themapacademy.org/the-map-model/competency-based/

U.S. Department of Education, (n.d.). Competency-Based Learning or Personalized Learning. Retrieved from

https://www.ed.gov/oii-news/competency-based-learning-or-personalized-learning

References