LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Technavio’s latest report on the competency-based platforms market for higher education in the US provides an analysis on the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook from 2016-2020. Technavio defines an emerging trend as a factor that has the potential to significantly impact the market and contribute to its growth or decline.
The number of students enrolled in competency-based education programs has grown from around 50,000 students in 1990 to around 200,500 in 2015 in the US. It is expected that by 2020, there will be around 750 colleges offering competency-based education programs with over 500,000 enrollments. It is expected that by 2020, students aged 25 years and above will form around 44% of the tertiary education student population. This represents a huge potential for the competency-based education market in the US.
Jhansi Mary, a lead analyst from Technavio, specializing in research on education technology sector, says, “Several higher education institutions will offer competency-based education programs and the market will grow as corporates and employers get involved to promote skill-specific education to close the widening skill gaps. For instance, AT&T has been providing funds to Udacity and Georgia Institute of Technology for developing online programs, since 2013.”
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The top four emerging trends driving the competency-based platforms market for higher education in the US according to Technavio education research analysts are:
- Emergence of digital badges
- Change in assessment methodologies
- Learning analytics in competency-based education
- Emergence of learning relationship management systems
Emergence of digital badges
Competency-based education has propelled the market for educational credentials other than traditional credentials, such as degrees, industry certifications, licensures, and certificates. An innovation in educational technology that is expected to benefit from the emergence of competency-based education is digital badges or microcredentials.
A digital badge is an indicator of skills and accomplishment earned in a learning environment. Apart from digital badges, other terminologies often used synonymously include open badges, micro-credentials, and educational badges. It is an interactive image that can be posted on a web page and linked to data such as issuer information, criteria, curriculum, rubric, evidence, expiration date, learning pathway, and time of issue. It allows for validation of skills and helps make mastery in a skill more transparent and portable.
Change in assessment methodologies
Competency-based education allows students to learn at their own pace by offering individualized and adaptive learning paths, supported with appropriate learning resources. In this regard, the US Education Department (ED) and the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C-RAC) have defined two categories of assessment models, namely Credit Equivalency and Direct Assessment models that define the standards for institutions and accrediting bodies associated with competency-based education.
In order to shift from traditional education paradigms to competency-based education model, institutions need to specify the metrics to be evaluated, along with benchmark levels to be achieved in their assessment methodologies. Institutions are also adopting competency education platforms along with assessment tools that ensure performance results are reviewed, analyzed, and shared with the stakeholders. For instance, Western Governors University refined its assessment development framework to make assessment development more rigorous with reliable and psychometrically sound assessments.
Learning analytics in competency-based education
Learning analytics software uses tools and applications for collecting, managing, and analyzing both structured and unstructured data to improve multiple processes and activities that are a part of the education industry. It also helps achieve strategic goals and enable better decision making. It has applications in various aspects of education and since it is a growing market, it is expected to get influenced further in tandem with the evolving needs of institutions. The tools used mostly are content analytics, adaptive learning analytics, functional support analytics, social media analytics, and predictive analytics.
“Since most competency-based education programs are self-paced where students have an independent learning environment, learning analytics tools are necessary to ensure that there are accurate metrics to track the progress and performance,” asserts Jhansi.
Emergence of learning relationship management systems
The higher education market is seeing the emergence of learning relationship management systems. These are software tools used to measure student progress by tracking the mastery of competency real-time and facilitating communication between various stakeholders such as teachers, students, parents, and counselors.
The higher education market is seeing the emergence of learning relationship management systems. These are software tools used to measure student progress by tracking the mastery of competency real-time and facilitating communication between various stakeholders such as teachers, students, parents, and counselors.
The key vendors are as follows:
- BNED LoudCloud
- D2L
- Ellucian
- Flat World Education
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