Coastline College to Receive Grant to Implement Competency Based Education (CBE) Degree

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Coastline College is one of eight colleges that has been awarded a grant totaling $400,000 that spans five years and allows them to create and implement a competency-based Associates Degree in Management.   Coastline College was selected through a competitive review process to participate in the Chancellor's office Competency Based Education (CBE) collaborative. In January, The Coast Community College District Board voted in favor of the grant application and the pursuit of competency-based education.

Coastline president Loretta Adrian has advocated for the adoption of competency-based education (CBE).  "As president, I am proud that Coastline has been selected as one of the colleges to lead the way in the adoption of CBE as another innovative method of providing degree and certificate opportunities for students.  This initiative is consistent with the strategic goals of Coastline and the College is poised to support peer colleges in piloting and scaling the adoption of CBE statewide."

Competency Based Education is a flexible learning model that gives formal recognition to past learning experiences, enabling students to quickly learn certificates and degrees that lead to career and transfer opportunities. 

Benefits of CBE:

• CBE provides formal recognition and documentation for student's experiences.
• CBE provides high touch and personalized learning experience.
• CBE is flexible and self-paced, so students can earn their degree at their own pace, outside of typical semester timelines.
• CBE will be online and available from anywhere.
• CBE  establishes and measures student's demonstration of competencies. Students will be evaluated as either Mastery or Mastery+  These will equate to specific grades on their dual transcript.
• The competency-based degree in Management will be a fully transferrable Associates Degree for Transfer.

Dr. Shelley Blair, Dean of Innovative Learning & Career Education, gives the credit for this award to Coastline's faculty, "Our faculty are innovative and always open to new approaches to serve our community. This award is evidence of their commitment to equity and their desire to meet unmet needs in our state."

"Coastline has a long history of providing educational opportunities in non-traditional formats. We see CBE as the future of education. We are proud to be among an elite group of community colleges to write the next chapter for public education in California," said the next Coastline College president Vincent Rodriguez.

With the CBE program, Coastline aims to reduce all student equity gaps regarding access and achievement. The CBE program will help Coastline increase equity practices across all modalities. It will provide a flexible, affordable, self-paced learning opportunity for working learners. It will advance the equity mindset and practice at Coastline College.

The CBE Management pathway will embrace contextualized learning and equity-based strategies in curriculum design and student support. Coastline Pathways will streamline and scale equity initiatives that support student access, retention, and completion. 

Coastline College's proposed CBE Direct assessment degree has been formally endorsed by Board of Trustees, Associated Student Government, Academic Senate, and College Council. Coastline is committed to innovation in the classroom and providing its students the best education to help further their careers. 

About Coastline College:

Coastline College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.  For eight consecutive years, Coastline College was selected as one of the top 150 colleges by The Aspen Institute for Community College Excellence which is considered the most prestigious designation for community colleges. Coastline delivers flexible courses and services that cultivate and guide diverse student populations across the globe to complete pathways leading to the attainment of associate degrees, certificates, career readiness, and transfer to four-year colleges/universities.  

CONTACT:
Dawn Willson
[email protected]

SOURCE Coastline College

Related Links

www.coastline.edu