For Learners: Rubrics & Grading

In Summary: What These Changes Mean to You

Changes Taking Place

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Focus on assessing competencies instead of ‘to-dos’
Removing the must haves and go furthers from the capstone assessment criteria
New layout of the assessment criteria </aside>

What Stays The Same

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Must haves and go furthers will be included in milestone descriptions
Learners can still submit a deliverable until they receive ‘achieved’
Challenge, milestones and lessons layout remains the same </aside>

What’s The Impact For You?

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Research indicates that competency-based grading can significantly enhance learner learning, engagement, and self-direction in their studies, leading to improved performance and a notable reduction in failure rates compared to traditional grading systems. (Richard et al., 2022). Furthermore, learner surveys have highlighted that competency-based grading tends to reduce stress and promote deeper learning compared to traditional methods (Simonds et al., 2017; Towsley and Schmid, 2020). Learners also credited this grading approach with enhancing their time management and planning skills, as it requires them to complete projects and assignments at their own pace while meeting the standards needed to achieve their desired grades (Simonds et al., 2017).

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A Brief Overview of Competency-Based Learning

At ToU, we provide our learners with high-quality content based on the competency-based learning concept. In a nutshell, competency-based is a system designed to reflect how people learn, work, and collaborate in the real world. It is grounded in evidence-based assessment practices and emphasizes flexibility in terms of time, space, and support, ensuring that all learners can apply what they learn to develop durable, transferable skills. In regards to competency-based learning and assessment, the following aspects apply:

☀️ Assessment is designed to be a positive, empowering experience for learners, providing timely, relevant, and actionable feedback.
🧠 Learner progression is based on demonstrated mastery of content, rather than time spent in class.
📊 There are rigorous and uniform expectations for learning outcomes, including knowledge, skills, and dispositions, which are clear, measurable, and transferable.

Data-Driven Reflection for Competency-Based Growth

One major goal of every single program is for each earner to learn how they learn best. Learners are tasked with revisiting their target profile regularly. These goals include mastery of specific competencies or attempts at new challenges. Following these insights is the series of challenges learners enroll in to further attempt their learning goals. Each challenge is mapped to a specific goal. The competency profile is able to provide context around competencies and learning goals, helping learners become self-aware, adaptable learners. The profile tracks learning progress. Detailed data is available only to the individual learner and the ToU learning and program operations team.

Competency-Based Grading Supports Learner’s Careers

Competency-based grading fosters a learner’s career by aligning educational outcomes with specific, demonstrable skills required in the workforce, thereby enhancing employability and career readiness. This approach ensures that learners not only acquire theoretical knowledge but also develop practical competencies that are directly applicable to their professional roles. Competency-based grading provides a more accurate representation of a learner’s abilities and readiness for career challenges compared to traditional grading systems (Guskey and Jung 2016). By focusing on mastery of particular skills, learners can identify their strengths and areas for improvement, promoting a growth mindset and continuous professional development. Research highlights that employers value competency-based education as it reduces the skills gap, ensuring graduates are better prepared to meet industry demands (Mendenhall et al. 2018). This alignment between education and industry needs supports a seamless transition from academic environments to professional settings, ultimately enhancing career prospects and advancement opportunities.

Throughout a learner’s learning journey, they have the opportunity to engage with mentors and program directors and learner success managers to help them stay focused on their mission, goals, job opportunities and related competencies.

Rubrics at a Glance

<aside> 💡 Starting in September 2024, we will give our grading system an upgrade and assess deliverables using rubrics. Now let’s decode a rubric to understand how it works and how it can help you with your submissions and competencies growth.