East Texas A&M University

Challenge 

Building learner skill sets with accessible programs 

East Texas A&M University (ETAMU) has roots stretching all the way back to 1889, but its approach to education is far from traditional. Over the past decade, their competency-based education (CBE) programs have offered accessible, affordable education and has proved incredibly popular, with ETAMU as the fastest growing university in the State of Texas. 

ETAMU initially launched its competency-based degree programs to support the Texas Government’s 60x30TX initiative, which set a goal of ensuring that 60% of citizens aged between 25 and 34 gain a certificate or degree by 2030. ETAMU has now set its sights on expansion. 

“Our current goal is to offer more competency-based programs and become a truly student-ready university,” says Dr. April Sanders, interim dean and associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the College of Innovation and Design. “Essentially, this means that we want to make our programs more accessible and ensure that we always meet the needs of students, with a specific focus on enabling = career development for graduates.”  

As the name describes, the College of Innovation and Design at ETAMU is set up to be an incubator for new, innovative and unique approaches to education that are cutting-edge and not bound to traditional educational delivery. Dr. Sanders’s role is to push the college toward their vision of fostering an environment where students can discover their calling and reach their full potential.  
 
Most students taking competency-based programs at ETAMU are adult learners that study remotely, with the average age hovering around 37. The majority of students have had college experience in the past and are building on their current skill set, or they’re ready to make a career switch and need to level up.  

The CBE programs are low cost and exceptionally flexible to student needs. Students pay a flat rate each term and students move through the program at their own pace. “Our students are really motivated to improve their lives, and our programs help them do just that. At ETAMU, students can learn at their own pace and step up their careers in a relatively short period of time.”  says Sanders. 

Online learning without intentional support can lead to some students feeling isolated from their peers and support network. To combat this, ETAMU looked to build a stronger sense of community for online students and offer more holistic assistance and advice. In parallel, the university also aimed to make training easier for over 135 adjunct faculty members and give them the ability to access professional development throughout their employment. “The best part of partnering with D2L has been having a flexible LMS that can offer us options for building community in our college of mostly online learners and remote faculty; the ability to offer them a space where they can connect and learn makes a difference in how we connect and learn and, eventually, grow.” 

Solution 

Building a student ready focus on strong foundations  

When ETAMU first launched its online competency-based program, it selected Brightspace to provide the foundation for learning, teaching, discovery and engagement. Since then, ETAMU has scaled the program to support close to 500 graduates annually and added specialized degree programs for first responders and criminal justice professionals. 

Students have advisors that follow them from registration through to graduation and set students up for success with a hands-on approach. From helping students find resources, to checking in on them if they’re stuck at a specific section of the program, advisors are there to holistically support every learner. “We’re supporting a student-ready approach and CBE is so rich and poised to create an environment of being student ready,” says Sanders. “Foundationally, we’ve set up a strong position to help students move through the program at their own rate. Whether that’s 2pm or 2am, the programs are designed to flexibly serve them where they’re at in life.”  

Building communities with CID Studio  

Today, the organization is diving deeper into the features available in Brightspace to enhance teaching and support. Most recently, ETAMU created a new onboarding portal for students at the College of Innovation and Design, referred to internally as CID Studio.  

“With CID Studio, we can provide a dedicated space for students to stay connected with their peers, learn how best to navigate online study, and get valuable career advice,” says Sanders. “It really helps to create that on-campus community feeling, but online.” 

Because CID Studio is set up as a class in Brightspace, Sanders and her colleagues get rich data on the content students are interacting with. They can then use this information to track which modules are most popular and enhance or redesign content as needed to boost engagement and improve support.  

For example, a module on post-graduation financial literacy is currently topping the charts on CID Studio. “I am really proud of the financial coaching module we built with the Brightspace platform,” reflects Sanders. “Many students use our competency-based program to develop their careers and boost their earnings after graduation. Our finance module shows students how to manage any changes in their finances so they can make the best decisions for themselves and their families.” 

Just like its students, many of ETAMU’s adjunct faculty members work remotely. “We used to run training with adjunct faculty members through virtual ‘lunch and learn’ sessions, which we also recorded for members who couldn’t make it,” comments Sanders. “While we had strong attendance rates, delivering training in this way made it difficult for faculty to revisit information on the fly. Instead, we’ve now launched a monthly podcast and microlearning opportunities on the Brightspace platform. This way, our staff can dip in and out of training whenever they need it.” 

Result 

Accelerating career development for professionals across sectors 

Since 2019, ETAMU has helped 2,400 students graduate from its competency-based programs. With the latest enhancements to the CBE program, the university is now looking to increase this number in the years ahead.  

“One of the great things about the Brightspace platform is that it makes scaling our programs super easy,” comments Sanders. “We can take on more students without limiting the flexibility of our programs or increasing tuition fees. In fact, our competency-based programs are now such a huge part of ETAMU that students in the CBE programs have their own dedicated graduation ceremonies.” 

In addition to saving on program fees, students can complete ETAMU’s competency-based degrees much faster than traditional programs. On average, most students finish their studies in just over one year instead of three. What’s more, ETAMU has achieved a retention rate of 82% for these programs.  

“We think that the additional work we have done to boost support for competency-based programs has helped us achieve such a high retention rate,” reflects Sanders. “We didn’t want to do anything that could undermine the accessibility and affordability of our programs, but we were keen to make changes to improve extra-curricular support for our competency-based programs cohort,”  

Today, ETAMU is the go-to organization for other universities in North America seeking advice on how to implement competency-based education initiatives. “We get a lot of interest from other universities,” concludes Sanders. “One thing that we have learned throughout our journey is that detailed and regular staff training is key to success, and I always highlight this to our peers. With our podcasts and microlearning, we can provide all the guidance that our adjunct faculty need to thrive as educators in competency-based education.”