What do you do when previous change efforts fail to move the needle on success metrics? Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC) took action, this time working backwards from specific industry needs to redesign pathways. LATTC’s journey, covered in CLP’s new publication, Competency-based Education at LATTC, resulted in nine redesigned career pathways grounded in a “competency-based curriculum” that includes both traditional and modern soft skills, along with the skills required for 21st-century hybrid jobs such as analytical skills, interpersonal skills, and information processing.
This effort is a significant step in building the potential for competency-based education (CBE) at LATTC. CBE is one strategy to help meet the challenge of closing equity gaps called for in the Vision for Success by providing flexibility for students in completing educational goals. Heightened attention is on its promise for increasing student success and facilitating recognition of learning outside the traditional model.
In CLP’s new case study and discussion guide, you can read about how LATTC approached this work, steps for implementation, and their early results. The accompanying two-page discussion guide is geared for college teams interested in exploring the possibility of CBE. In addition to discussion questions, it includes a list of introductory resources and an overview of the CBE model and the different types of CBE, including direct assessment and course-based CBE.
The California Community Colleges (CCC) Board of Governors is currently considering regulations to encourage the development of direct assessment CBE. The CCC Chancellor’s Office will be launching a learning collaborative of colleges that together will pilot implementation of direct assessment CBE degree programs; colleges interested in participating should fill out a brief interest form.