Competency-based education: A study of four new models and their implications for bending the higher education cost curve

Donna M. Desrochers; Richard L. Staisloff

In this report the authors assess CBE programs at four institutions by considering business models, costs, etc. and what is required from institutions to 'get to breakeven'. The four institutions anticipate breaking even with their programs by the fifth year, and they project that by the sixth year these programs will be operating at half the cost of the traditional academic programs. The article describes how an evaluation of the competency- based education business model must include considerations regarding price, efficiency (academic delivery structure, staff ratios, and compensation), and scale (student recruitment, enrollment, and retention).

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Suggested Citation

Desrochers, D., & Staisloff, R. (2016). Competency-based education: A study of four new models and their implications for bending the higher education cost curve. rpk Group.