The UW System will receive a $1.2 million grant to assist the evaluation of the UW Flexible Option and design of a blueprint for other universities to build similar systems, according to a UW System press release.
The UW Flexible Option is a competency-based degree program that would allow students to earn credit for degrees and certificates by demonstrating knowledge acquired in a traditional lecture setting as well as through a variety of alternative venues, including independent studies and online courses.
According to the release, the grant project will chronicle and and analyze the development of the UW Flexible Option.
The Lumina Foundation, a private foundation devoted to increasing the accessibility of college degrees for Americans, provided the grant money, which the system will use to create plans that other universities could use to develop their own competency-based degree programs, according to the release.
“The potential impact is huge – affecting degree completion and policy changes at the national level, and pioneering a whole new way of delivering degree and certificate programs,” UW System President Kevin Reilly said in the release. “Lumina took notice and we are grateful for the Foundation’s generous support.”
