What the Department of Ed doesn’t understand about PLA and CBE

Despite what some may say, there is an undeniable relationship between prior learning assessment and competency-based education.  Prior learning assessment (PLA) is the measurement of what someone knows and can do based on their previous experiences and learning.  Competency-based education (CBE) is an educational methodology which credentials students in what they know and can do, …

The Problem with Snowflakes

This winter, many Americans became reacquainted with snowflakes in a big way.  Violent storms dropped as many as 120 inches of snow on some cities.  The vast amount of these tiny, uniquely shaped frozen water droplets was overwhelming.  Similarly, colleges and universities throughout the country were also recently overwhelmed by another kind of tiny, and …

MOOCs are not the Bad Guy

Sebastian Thrun announced last week that Udacity was going to be pivoting away from higher education to pursue corporate education partnerships.  And then the internet exploded. What has ensued has been a lot of football spiking and endzone dancing by people who felt that MOOCs were not the answer.  For instance, Jonathan Rees says “I …