Introducing YourPace

YourPace at UMPI: A Practical Guide to Competency Based Education (CBE)

YourPace is UMPI’s competency-based education (CBE) modality designed for adult, working, and nontraditional learners. Instead of measuring progress by seat time or fixed semesters, learners advance when they demonstrate competency in clearly defined outcomes. This page orients you to how CBE differs from traditional models, what the learner experience looks like in YourPace, what faculty do differently, and how to get started building or refining a YourPace course.

Key Feature of CBE

Organized by outcomes/competencies, not weeks. Learners move as they master specific, transparent skills and knowledge. U.S. Department of Education
Time becomes variable; expectations stay constant (mastery is the bar, not the calendar). Lumina Foundation
Assessment is authentic and criterion referenced, with multiple ways to show learning where appropriate. New England Commission of Higher Education
Designed for flexibility and affordability—structured to help adult learners finish degrees faster and at lower cost when they can accelerate. (Evidence base is still developing; see research notes below.) AIR

Standard calendar (e.g., 15-week term)
Fixed pacing for everyone
Peer learning opportunities
Grades reflect aggregated points across varied tasks
“Coverage” model can emphasize content exposure over verified mastery

Structure centers on program/degree competencies → course competencies → module level skills
Students start, pause, and advance based on readiness and evidence of mastery
Assessments map 1:1 to stated competencies; feedback is targeted to close specific gaps
Transparency: learners always know the competency, criteria, and what “meets mastery” means (supported by regional accreditors’ guidance) New England Commission of Higher Education

Why does this matter? Adult learners bring prior learning, busy schedules, and urgent career goals. CBE recognizes prior knowledge, reduces time to degree when mastery is demonstrated quickly, and keeps expectations constant while flexing the pacing.

The Learner Experience in YourPace

Learners see the competency map (course outcomes → module competencies) and understand how each assessment evidences mastery.
Orientation materials explain how to progress, how often to submit, and what happens after an attempt (feedback/next steps).

Students set goals and pace themselves; faculty coach them to avoid stalls and celebrate momentum.
When life happens, flexibility is built in—but quality doesn’t change: the bar for mastery remains the same.

Evidence is aligned to each competency—e.g., projects, case analyses, scenario-based tasks, curated artifacts.
Re-submission cycles focus on targeted gaps until mastery is shown (within course and policy limits). Guidance from DoEd and accreditors supports these models when outcomes and evaluation are clear and documented. U.S. Department of Education New England Commission of Higher Education

CBE pairs well with prior learning assessment (PLA) to acknowledge existing competencies, helping adults finish faster and reduce cost when appropriate. cael.org

LEAN: The YourPace Course Design Approach

LEAN 5S of Design for CBE Development: 1. Sort: Any activities that do not add value are eliminated. 2. Straighten: Backwards design methods are used to ensure alignment and appropriateness. 3. Shine: Design templates and a variety of relevant multimedia enhance learning materials. 4. Standardize: Courses and materials use common templates to reduce time learning navigation. 5. Sustain: Courses are aligned with campus and industry needs and updated for currency and effectiveness.

What is Lean Teaching, in YourPace?

LEAN thinking, when applied in a competency-based educational context focuses on the value that the skills (competencies and outcomes within CBE courses) add to students’ current or future workforce needs–as well as our ability as educators, to make that connection explicit.

In industry, LEAN practices focus on continuous improvement–which we support in students through the creation of authentic and relevant assessment (practice) activities, and programmatically through rigorous quality assurance and regularly-scheduled course and competency updates. In industry, LEAN principles also value respect for people–in our case, students, we do not seek to use students’ precious time with redundant tasks that do not directly contribute to the learning process and recognize our students as active co-creators of knowledge.

How is the value of higher education improved by utilizing a LEAN model of CBE?

According to Emiliani (2015), Lean processes seek to improve the quality of teaching (focusing on the reduction in errors, or ‘things that do not work’), by improving the course flow (eliminating extraneous content bloat, design inconsistency, and barriers), and by improving the quality of learning (knowledge and skill retention and successful skills application).

How does LEAN teaching connect with UMPI initiatives to support student-centered and experiential teaching and learning?

Lean approaches support UMPI’s Academic Commitment to student-centered learning by anchoring in skills-based, measurable learning outcomes and prioritizing consistent design as a student-centered practice. This approach also values students as knowledge co-creators, and through the mastery-development structure, allows students to try, apply, adjust, and revise as needed, and places a premium on reflection and connection to how these skills (i.e. outcomes/competencies) transfer across career and after-academia needs.

Does LEAN design mean that CBE courses are cookie-cutter?

No, Lean design takes the cognitive task of learning the individual instructor design flow out of the equation, so that all of the course learning takes place on learning the course content, which will vary considerably, depending on the discipline, level, outcomes, and purpose of the course!

Does designing and teaching LEAN mean watering down content to make it easier?

Contrary to popular belief, the Lean course design does not mean making content easier or watered down, or only giving students limited access to essential content–in fact, students should need access to essential course content in order to effectively apply the course/discipline-specific skills–this is what makes content essential. This is why aligning with the course and program Outcomes (i.e. the competencies of CBE) are so important. Content is important and should help students develop competencies and skills–but there should not be content for content’s sake. Lean design calls on highly qualified subject-matter development faculty to avoid curricular bloat by focusing content on what aligns and engages.

Learn more About Lean Teaching