El Paso County Community College (EPCC) strives to provide educational opportunities and support services that prepare individuals to improve their personal quality of life and contribute to their economically and culturally diverse community. A pioneer in the adoption of Competency-Based Education (CBE) to accelerate student pathways, EPCC offers over 40 CBE courses across disciplines such as criminal justice, business management, cybersecurity, and teacher preparation.
Spotlight Feature
EPCC is implementing a student-centered CBE model — the Tejano Flex Learning program (TFL) — to help students accelerate their learning and stay on track, offering flexible, skills-focused pathways across a range of programs. Designed for learners with prior work experience and full lives, TFL allows students to move through course content at their own pace. Students demonstrate mastery through applied assessments, not time spent in a classroom. EPCC has piloted the model in high-demand fields, integrating credit for prior learning and creating stackable pathways aligned with workforce needs.
Lessons Learned
- Involve faculty, administrators, employers, and students from the outset in designing and implementing CBE programs to ensure the curriculum aligns with industry needs and educational goals.
- Help students see how CBE supports their goals by communicating its flexibility, real-world relevance, and path to the same credentials in a new format.
- Build faculty trust in CBE by offering examples, training, and space to explore how it can enhance teaching and support student success.
- Regularly evaluate CBE programs through feedback from students, faculty, and industry partners to identify areas for improvement, keep the curriculum relevant, and respond to evolving workforce demands.
Implementation Tips
Successful CBE programs require strategic planning, stakeholder collaboration, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Start with select courses to test CBE models, allowing for adjustments based on feedback before scaling.
Choose a learning management system that supports self-paced learning and provide resources for both students and faculty, such as Brightspace.
Encourage faculty to explore and share active learning strategies, like project-based assessments, flipped classrooms, and mastery-based grading.
Outcomes
Example:
- 63%
- Initial overall pass rate for TFL courses; TFL leadership expects this to rise to 75% and higher
- 16
- Eight-week online CBE courses offered, with plans to expand to 100 in 2026
- >500
- Students have taken at least one TFL course since 2022
Next Steps
- Continue building out initial course pathways: Criminal Justice, Business Management, Cybersecurity, and Teacher Preparation.
- Enhance marketing efforts to increase awareness and enrollment in CBE courses.
- Continuously refine competency frameworks based on industry feedback and student performance data.
Resources
For a comprehensive understanding of EPCC’s Tejano Flex Learning program and its impact on student success, refer to the detailed article available at El Paso Matters. This resource provides insights into the development, implementation, and outcomes of EPCC’s CBE initiatives, offering valuable lessons for institutions considering similar approaches.
View the resource
