Texas Governor Rick Perry
Texas Governor Rick Perry urgedcolleges and universities to expand their usage of competency-based education and other alternatives to the traditional credit hour. Perry made the announcement at the 2012 Texas Higher Education Leadership Conference.
The governor highlighted Texas‘ ‘College Credit for Heroes’ program which utilizes a competency based education approach which allows veterans to receive course credit for any experience, education, or training received during their military service. Perry also mentioned WGU-Texas, the state based subsidiary of Western Governors University, which opened in 2011 which also utilizes a competency-based approach to deliver online bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Perry’s push for wide spread adoption of competency-based education comes just days after rumors began circulating that the U.S. Department of Education was prepared to release a “Dear Colleague” letter that would provide colleges and accreditors with the regulatory guidance necessary for expanding competency-based education, as well as provide assurance that competency-based degrees are eligible for federal financial aid.
Perry also took the opportunity to build support for the rest of his higher education plan which calls for a four-year tuition freeze, linking 10% of a university’s funding to the school’s graduation rate instead of its enrollment rate, and increasing transparency in university pricing. He also renewed his challenge to colleges and universities to create more $10,000 degrees.
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