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Competency-Based Education

No Prior CBE? No Problem

Competencies are the measurable skills or knowledge areas that students demonstrate, and faculty assess in courses at Rasmussen University. In competency-based education (CBE) courses, students complete a set number of assignment deliverables based on real-world scenarios to demonstrate their competency in corresponding skill areas. Each deliverable can be submitted up to three times (two for doctoral CBE programs) so students can use instructor feedback to make improvements. There are no set due dates for individual assignments, but all work must be submitted before the course completion deadline.

Practice Makes Progress

  • Learning is iterative. Resist the fear of failing a deliverable and instead let your grading feedback guide your learning.
     
  • Don't let allow a fear of failure to stop you from attempting and submitting an assignment. Multiple attempts are an advantage. 

Rubrics Are Your Friend

  • You must earn a 2 or higher on each assignment deliverable to pass the course.
     
  • You may submit each course project deliverable up to three times.  
     
  • Self-assess your work against the corresponding rubric criteria before you submit an attempt.

Multiple Attempt Magic

  • Read your grading feedback carefully and use it to hone your skills even if you do not resubmit.
     
  • Multiple submissions and rich feedback set the CBE learning experience apart; take advantage.
     
  • Earn a passing grade on your first attempt? Work on the next deliverable and circle back later.

Network Like the Best

  • Your professors' expertise is worth its weight in gold. Budget time to edit based on grading feedback.
     
  • Participate in your live classroom sessions to learn from your peers.
     
  • Meet online with a peer tutor for CBE strategies.