The What, Why, Who, When & Where

This document was developed with input from the UW Flexible Option Faculty and Instructional Academic Staff Advisory Group. Original Publish Date, February 2013 

WHAT?

The UW Flexible Option is a portfolio of degrees, certificates and courses drawn primarily from the UW System’s existing program array offered through formats that are self-paced, competency-based, and built on best-practice educational principles and learning science, including learning-outcomes assessment and instructional design principles.

UW Flexible Option builds on the UW System’s well-deserved reputation for quality and innovation, its foundation in the Wisconsin Idea, and its ongoing commitment to provide affordable and accessible education to more Wisconsin residents. UW Flexible Option emphasizes areas that serve the public interest, including areas of strong student demand and areas of economic growth and development in Wisconsin and beyond. The UW System’s Shared Learning Goals are used to direct the development of UW Flexible Option competencies.

UW Flexible Option will use best-practice educational principles that:

• Place competencies and student learning assessment at the core
• Take best advantage of instructional materials available world-wide
• Optimally use technology and face-to-face to provide maximum flexibility for learners

At the heart of programs offered through UW Flexible Option are clearly articulated competencies, and the series of assessments that are used to determine whether students master the necessary skills and knowledge to qualify for a degree in particular subject areas. UW Flexible Option starts with the question, What will students need to know and be able to do when they complete the program, and at what level of mastery? Units and faculty will determine competencies and levels of mastery, with the range and scope of assessments developed to best capture each competency—from traditional exams, to rubric-based evaluations of student work, to observational analyses in structured environments.

The flexibility in UW Flexible Option comes from multiple directions.

• Flexibility through self-paced formats: While rooted in the tradition of innovation throughout the Universities of Wisconsin, the evolutionary nature of UW Flexible Option emerges from offering programs that do not rely on seat time, traditional academic semesters or terms, or credit-based courses. Because UW Flexible Option will be offered in formats that are self-paced, students may pursue program competencies and take assessments according to their own timelines, not traditional academic calendars.
• Flexibility through instructional materials from many sources: Students will be able to develop skill and knowledge from anywhere—from traditional place-based courses, to online material, to work and practical experiences, to structured internships and service projects. By decoupling mastery of competencies from delivery, students will have multiple—and more flexible—pathways by which to achieve their educational goals, according to their prior learning and experiences, their time and effort, and their interests.
• Obtaining a degree through this model will not be easier, nor “less than” a traditional UW degree. Students will demonstrate mastery over program competencies determined by the same faculty and institutions who grant all other UW degrees. Strong mentoring and tutorial support for students enrolled in UW Flexible Option programs, provided by both faculty and professional advisors, will be developed so that students can meet their educational goals.

 

WHY?

We are living in transformative times. Many people do not have access to quality post-secondary education, which is essential to their economic stability and mobility. Educational delivery is evolving to meet a wide range of diverse learners and an ever-increasing amount of educational content is widely available. These transformations provide UW educators with the opportunity to focus more directly on the core purpose of education:  turning content into knowledge, and helping students gain the knowledge and skills to find their places in—and gain mastery over—the world around them.

The University of Wisconsin’s Flexible Option is a model to achieve these ends, focusing squarely on clearly articulated competencies (learning outcomes) and students’ demonstrated mastery of these competencies. UW Flexible Option is designed to serve the estimated 750,000 Wisconsin residents, and many more around the country and world, who have some college credit but no degree, and who are place-bound or otherwise unable to attend traditional residence-based colleges and universities.

 

WHO?

 Who will offer UW Flexible Option? 

• Academic degrees and programs offered through UW Flexible Option will be offered by UW institutions. They will be approved and awarded by the same accreditation and faculty governance policies as all UW degrees:
  • Academic control of a UW Flexible Option program will remain under faculty and administrative shared governance within the offering UW institution.
  • UW Flexible Option will support the administration at each institution.
  • The home institutions and UW Flexible Option will work collaboratively to ensure that students receive the academic and other support they need to help them succeed.
• Program faculty and staff will determine the competencies, assessments, and appropriate levels of mastery for UW Flexible Option programs.
• Participation in UW Flexible Option is voluntary; no institution or department is required to participate.
• Business models will be developed that are cost-effective for students and equitably share revenue across the units providing effort.

 

Who are the students likely to enroll in UW Flexible Option?

UW Flexible Option is aimed at of adult and non-traditional learners, most of whom already have some college credits and who can most benefit from greater flexibility and access to quality education.

Who will be involved in developing UW Flexible Option programs? 

In addition to participating program faculty and staff, three systemwide advisory groups have been convened to determine key components and principles guiding the development of UW Flexible Option:

• A Faculty/Instructional Academic Staff advisory group is developing principles for quality, competencies, assessments, and levels of mastery, as well as identifying an ongoing oversight role for faculty as UW Flexible Option is developed;
• An Administrative Advisory group is working through infrastructure issues and assisting in the development of a business model focused on tuition pricing and revenue sharing;
• An Academic and Student Support group is assisting in the development of the operational mechanisms and support needed to allow students to enroll and progress in UW Flexible Option.
  • UW Flexible Option will partner with each program to provide operational and administrative support

 

WHEN AND WHERE? 

• First to Flex:  led by faculty and administrators at several UW institutions, a group of academic degree and certificate programs have stepped forward to help develop UW Flexible Option as part of the first cohort of programs:
  • UW-Milwaukee will offer four degree programs and one certificate program:
    • Two Nursing degrees (R.N.-to-B.S.N. and R.N.-to-M.N.), for Registered Nurses who need additional college to qualify for higher professional credentials
    • A bachelor’s degree-completion program in Biomedical Sciences: Diagnostic Imaging, targeted toward certified diagnostic imaging professionals
    • A bachelor’s degree in Information Science & Technology, preparing students for jobs in tomorrow’s digital culture and economy
    • A Certificate in Professional and Technical Communication, providing students with the essential written and oral communication skills needed in today’s workplace
    • Universities of Wisconsin will provide an array of general education and liberal arts courses in the UW Flexible Option format.  Departments participating include Anthropology/Sociology, Biological Sciences, English, History, Computer Science, Geography/Geology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Psychology/Education, Engineering, Art, Business/Economics, Physics, Women’s Studies, Spanish, Health/Exercise Science/Athletics, World Languages, Music, and Political Science.
      • The Universities of Wisconsin will work to provide the Associate of Arts and Science degree via UW Flex, which may also meet the general education requirements of four-year degree programs launched by other institutions.
      • UW-Superior and UW Independent Learning are developing UW Flexible Option general education courses in Communications and Art History.
• The goal is to begin enrolling students in these Cohort 1 programs beginning Fall 2013 (with the Master’s of Nursing projected to begin enrolling in Fall 2014).
• Several other UW System institutions, including UW-Parkside, are exploring UW Flexible Option opportunities for future cohorts of programs, per the interests of their faculty.