CHEPP believes that a learner’s lived experience is an asset to their education and that learning and progress should be measured by a demonstration of knowledge and skills, not time spent in a classroom. Students First outlines how these principles can be applied to shift entire higher education systems to better meet learners’ needs.
In this book, Paul LeBlanc, President of Southern New Hampshire University shares how higher education can shift from measuring a students’ seat time to validating their knowledge and expertise through competency-based education. In moving away from timebound models, higher education can apply students’ experiences inside and outside of education, including workforce skills, towards completing their credential. As learners increasingly enroll, stop-out, and reenter higher education throughout their careers, it is more important than ever to measure and validate all skills and expertise through prior learning assessment, credit transfer systems, and competency-based education. This shift will better meet the needs of working and parenting learners, as well as learners hoping to return to higher education after stopping out.