Press Release: Cengage Learning Launches Competency-Based Learning Platform

WASHINGTON — October 25, 2016 — Learning Objects, a Cengage company, today announced the full release and availability of its Competency-Based Learning (CBL) Platform. Streamlining the development of competency-based programs, the platform is an end-to-end experience including competency dashboards, personalized learning activities, extended transcripts and evidence portfolios.  Designed to support programs built around learning goals that map to assessments and learning activities, the platform allows learners to demonstrate mastery at their own pace, earning modular credentials each step along the way.

“As more higher education institutions restructure their academic programs to focus on learning outcomes, they are finding that their current e-learning systems do not support backward design — that is, the ability to start with the definition of competencies, determine what assessments will accurately evaluate competency mastery, and then build learning activities that lead to mastery,” said Dr. Deborah Everhart, VP, Design & Innovation, Learning Objects. “Our CBL Platform is built from the ground up to support this strategic approach that makes learning outcomes central.”

The Learning Objects CBL Platform delivers a fully interoperable infrastructure that can be integrated with other systems based on IMS standards. Institutions can adopt the components they need when they need them, including:

• Program Definitions: describe what a learner should know and be able to do as a result of their experience in the program

• Competency Sets: define desired learning outcomes in hierarchical sets that are reusable in different programs

• Curriculum Maps: align competencies to corresponding assessments and learning resources, with easy visibility of coverage and where to fill gaps

• Competency Dashboards: keep learners and instructors informed of progress toward competency mastery, motivating learning through continuous reinforcement and empowering instructors to intervene based on timely, targeted information

• Evidence Portfolios: enable learners to collect and curate evidence of learning to share with employers and others, beyond a single program or institution

• Extended Transcripts: provide an official, verified record of a learner’s competency achievements at any given point in time

Available to support teaching and learning in face-to-face, flipped, fully online, and blended modalities, the Learning Objects CBL Platform can be utilized for instructor-led or independent, flexibly-paced learning.

For more information, visit: LearningObjects.com

About Cengage and Learning Objects

Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. The company serves the higher education, K-12, professional, library and workforce training markets worldwide. Learning Objects, a Cengage company, collaborates with higher education institutions to design and build digital learning environments.  The company brings together course and program design services, technology and content, including open educational resources (OER), to collaboratively build learning experiences for students. www.cengage.com www.learningobjects.com.