Competency-based learning

Higher education will be a hot topic if Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin runs for president, with budget cuts, university mission statements and a candidate's degree completion to debate.

Carnegie Foundation releases its much-awaited report on the credit hour -- higher education's currency -- which disappoints some by not calling for different standard unit for learning.

Michigan, Purdue and the Wisconsin System give competency-based education a try, but carefully and with targeted new programs.

Audit critical of the Education Department's review process for alternative to the credit hour raises questions about direction of federal policy and could discourage some colleges.

The U.S. Education Department opens the door to more tests with competency-based education, which could help set a new regulatory framework. 

Lipscomb University shows what competency-based education can look like in its blended form, both in-person and at a liberal arts college.

Incoming students in competency-based programs at Lipscomb University spend a long day trying to prove their baseline skills and behavior, with 30 college credits on the line. 

Competency-based education is gaining steam, but questions remain about which forms the U.S. Department of Education will back.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is moving away from grades to competency-style education for all of its academic programs, with an announcement that both drew praise and raised questions.

A California agency's threatening letters to a new cadre of technology training providers spotlight anew the tension between protecting consumers and encouraging innovation.