In alignment with Illinios’ Career and Technical Education Plan (also known as Perkins V) and the Higher Education Strategic Plan, the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) is supporting competency-based education (CBE) development by community colleges. CBE focuses on determining a student’s achievement by evaluating proficiency within a set of learning outcomes and objectives, moving away from traditional time-based constraints. This program is designed to support competency-based education program development in the community college system for the following high-demand sectors: welding and industrial maintenance. Using an equity-guided community of practice approach, this initiative aims to:
- build capacity in planning and program development,
- build institutional support, engagement, and knowledge, and
- guide and support institutions in transitioning to the implementation of a competency-based education program.
Our Role
Together with ICCB, we are supporting community colleges in developing CBE programs. This includes:
- Regularly convening community colleges pursuing CBE programs in welding and industrial maintenance to discuss implementation successes and challenges and create a resource repository.
- Supporting a team of community colleges in building CBE programs for healthcare, focused on providing structured time for reflection and collaboration across colleges, helping to foster shared learning.
In April 2023, we released “Student Insights into Postsecondary CBE.” Student insights were gathered over the course of several weeks from small focus groups of participants in the CBE Welding Program at Lewis and Clark Community College, conducted by EdSystems. Key takeaways include:
- Students value CBE’s scheduling flexibility and the freedom to work at their own pace.
- It is crucial to have someone for students to connect with who understands the program and how financial aid works.
- To be successful, students have to be motivated and responsible.
In November 2023, we released “Lessons Learned from the ICCB CBE Design Team.” Insights were gathered as part of the Community College CBE Pilot Project and supplemented by focus groups and interviews with design community participants. The document also includes a case study of the CBE Welding program at Lewis and Clark Community College.
