Although competency-based education (CBE) has existed since the early 1970s adult-focused degree programs, interest in CBE has spiked in recent years due to the increased attention on higher education affordability and accountability. This article reviews the extant literature on CBE to address the following questions: (a) What are the definitions…

This paper describes the development at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose, California, of a vocabulary mastery program using a multisensory approach. It includes a detailed outline of the development of the program, the procedures students follow for self-instruction and self-pacing, and the results of the program for the first 12 participants.…

Describes a general chemistry program involving small groups of students working together toward the mastery of performance objectives. Explains the administrative procedure for the program and provides an evaluation in terms of professor time, student attitude, and student achievement. (GS)

The challenge of structuring college curriculum to meet all of the educational needs of new students to higher education (those who would not be in college except for open admissions policies) is considered in this book. Research studies on teaching, learning, and student development form the basis for improvements in college programs outlined.…

An individualized, undergraduate degree program at Central Michigan University offers a variety of instruction options to students whose career and personal circumstances limit their access to more traditional forms of higher education. The program, sponsored by the university's Institute for Personal and Career Development, is designed to accept…

Explains how the audio-tutorial mastery learning system is applied to an introductory course in human geography. Describes the mastery learning procedures of self-pacing, explicitly stated objectives, and diagnostic tests. Considers possibilities of using procedures in more traditional instruction. Journal availability: see SO 507 262. (Author/CK)

A computer-assisted, competency-based instructional model has been developed for a teacher education program. It is based on the assumptions that individuals should control their own lives and that technology should be used to expand the range of human choice. The model uses a systems approach to organize the human, curricular and environmental…

Efforts to institutionalize Bloom's Mastery Learning Concept at the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) are described. Information on the City Colleges and the adaptation of mastery learning are presented, and the growth of the project in five phases beginning in 1972 is sketched. The optimal pattern for mastery learning consists of a series of small…