A New Kind of Learning: What to Expect from CBE Coursework in APPLE

Most of us carry a mental model of education built over years of traditional schooling. Show up, take notes, study for the test, earn the grade, move on. It is a familiar rhythm, and it is almost entirely unlike how learning works in APPLE.

Competency-based education does not ask when you learned something or how many hours you spent studying. It asks one question: Can you demonstrate that you have mastered this? For adult learners bringing years of classroom experience to their studies, that shift in focus is often the moment APPLE begins to feel less like going back to school and more like finally getting credit for what you already know.

Mastery, Not Seat Time

In a traditional course, a learner who submits an assignment that falls short of the standard receives a grade and moves on. In APPLE, falling short is not the end of the story; it is the beginning of a conversation. If an assessment does not yet meet the competency standard, learners meet with their faculty member in a scheduled virtual meeting to talk through what needs to be adjusted or refined before resubmitting. Most learners find these conversations genuinely helpful. They clarify expectations, deepen understanding, and give faculty valuable insight into what course materials might need strengthening. The goal is not to penalize. Instead, it is to ensure that every learner who completes APPLE has truly mastered the competencies that their future students will depend on.

Ideally, competency is demonstrated within three attempts. Not because there is a hard limit, but because consistent progress matters. Fits and starts are the enemy of momentum. Regular, sustained engagement with your coursework keeps you moving forward and keeps resubmissions from stacking up.

Assessments That Look Like Teaching

APPLE assessments are individual tasks designed to reflect the real work of a Christian educator. While there may be some multiple-choice tests or timed exams, most assessments focus on reflections, analysis of instructional scenarios, crafting of lesson plans, and, perhaps most memorably, recording yourself teaching.

Micro-teaching recordings are among the most distinctive features of APPLE coursework and often surprise new learners. A micro-teaching recording is a short lesson you facilitate with school-age learners — either in your current classroom or in an informal setting with family members or children of friends. It is an authentic window into your practice as an educator and one of the most powerful ways to connect coursework to your actual calling. If the idea of recording yourself teaching feels daunting, reach out to your faculty member early. They are there to help you prepare, not just to evaluate the work you submit.

Your Experience Is Evidence

For many APPLE learners, the moment CBE truly clicks is when they encounter the field experience courses: EFE I, EFE II, and IFE. These structured early teaching experiences ask learners to facilitate lessons and reflect on their practice. For learners who have spent years as paraprofessionals, substitute teachers, or teachers of record, these courses offer something traditional programs rarely do: the opportunity to demonstrate competency through prior experience.

The process begins with a resume submission. With faculty approval, learners may then submit a reflective portfolio documenting how their prior classroom experience meets the field experience requirements. For many learners, this is a powerful and affirming moment as years of faithful service in WELS schools are seen and honored as the meaningful preparation they have always been.

Feedback Is the Teaching

In a traditional course, feedback often arrives after the grade and feels like an explanation of what went wrong. In CBE, feedback is the primary teaching tool. APPLE faculty use detailed rubrics in  Brightspace, our online learning environment, alongside written summative comments. Some faculty also share audio or video feedback for a more personal touch.

As adult learners, APPLE students tend to engage with feedback seriously and thoughtfully, but sometimes they take that feedback too seriously. Feedback is meant to help you grow, not to define you. Read it carefully, ask questions if something is unclear, and then use it to move forward. The faculty members who write that feedback are invested in your success. Receive their comments in the spirit they are offered — as the words of someone who wants to see you thrive in your calling.

You are not just learning new content in APPLE. You are building the professional identity of a Christian educator, one competency at a time.