Evolving roles of faculty at an emerging hybrid competency‐based transdisciplinary program

Abstract

Background Faculty is inseparable from the design and implementation of competency‐based programs. Yet prior research on competency‐based education (CBE) has mainly focused on program design and implementation, paying less attention to the faculty roles and perception of their involvement. Aims This paper explores faculty perceptions of their own roles relating to the design and the pilot semester implementation of a new competency‐based transdisciplinary program at a large Midwest research‐intensive university. Methods Using a phenomenological approach, we conducted semistructured interviews with faculty involved in the program design and implementation of the pilot semester in this program (n = 7) to gain an understanding of the varied demands and expectations, as well as their perceptions of such roles in the context of the program. Results Our findings showed a variety of faculty functions pertaining to their roles within our CBE environment. The faculty interviewed also tended to be actively engaged in terms of student onboarding, motivation, and encouragement, particularly earlier in the semester. Facilitation of students’ learning and competency attainment at the prescribed level of mastery led to the need for ongoing review and feedback of students’ work, and a higher workload than a traditional course. Yet, the faculty had positive responses to the program and their work, which in part may relate to their early buy‐in into the program as part of their collaboration on the program design. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.

Elusive expectations for a novel program design: Contrast between program intentions and student recruitment and retention

“…Further compromises had to be made to gain buy‐in from multiple academic units. This background is not directly reflected in the findings of this paper, which focuses on students' perspectives (although some are discussed in Ashby et al, ). However, effects of last‐minute decision making and compromise played in to a number of the issues students had, especially regarding lack of clarity of expectations and lack of sufficient scaffolds developed before the initial semester launched.…”

“…This was the first semester our faculty had worked with a badging system, and the structure was still a work‐in‐progress. Students found it difficult to understand expectations, while faculty found it challenging to consistently assess submissions (Ashby, Caskurlu, & Exter, ). Some students struggled with the shift of responsibility away from instructors and toward themselves.…”

“…Students' concerns about the lack of traditional grades, potential impact on transfer to other programs or universities, and employability were exacerbated by challenges in aligning a CBE framework with institutional demands (Ashby et al, ; Exter, Ashby, Gray, Wilder, & Krause, ). In the end, students who completed all required competencies for the semester received an “A,” while the rest received an incomplete.…”

“…The warmth and personality of the faculty might have played an especially important role in students' perseverance and decision to continue with the program, as was found in prior research (e.g., Hill & Christian, ; Morrow & Ackermann, ). However, where mentors were not as available, students felt lost and indicated that this contributed to their frustration with the program as a whole (Ashby et al, ; Thomas, ).…”

Balancing old and new: Integrating competency-based learning into CALL teacher education

“…As noted previously, the focus of cl is on student learning, not on teaching. However, in the case of call education and cl, teacher educators and instruction play central roles; without them, it would be difficult to provide creative, meaningful instruction for each student (Ashby, Caskurlu, & Exter, 2018).…”