Archive for category: Nontraditional Education News

We designed the CBTE Minor to mirror the same six Theology courses that all undergraduate elementary education majors complete at MLC. Together, these courses provide a strong foundation in Scripture and assure a shared understanding of the tenets of our faith. But we always planned that once the Alternative Pathway to Professional Licensure Eligibility (APPLE) was approved, the minor would become part of the course offerings for learners enrolled in that program.

We launched the CBTE coursework in Fall 2024 to allow those who were planning to matriculate into APPLE to begin their studies to serve in the public ministry with the best foundation possible. Two different cohorts of learners began their studies as continuing education, CBTE learners. Now that the APPLE program is approved and will begin its first cohort in fall 2025, we are no longer offering the CBTE courses separately from the course offerings for the major.

While the CBTE Minor still exists, it is only available to those studying in our competency-based education baccalaureate program.

Individuals who are interested in deepening their faith by closely studying Scripture and doctrine but have no intention of serving as a WELS elementary school teacher should connect with MLC’s Continuing Education program to determine what courses may meet their interests.

Acronyms are pretty prevalent across the synod and our campus. LES? Lutheran Elementary School. ALHS? Area Lutheran High School. BIC? Bible Information Class. DP? District President.

As we build our CBE (competency-based education) programming at MLC (Martin Luther College), we are adding a few new acronyms to our WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) vocabulary.

You may have heard our instructional designer or director refer to RSI. What is RSI?

RSI stands for Regular and Substantive Interaction. RSI reflects the faculty’s commitment to supporting online learners. Thus, RSI is not exclusively connected to CBE courses but to all courses offered online at MLC.

Each element of RSI has specific definitions and expectations.

Regular interaction between students and their instructor in online instruction must be intentionally planned and initiated by the instructor. Regular interaction includes meeting with learners virtually or in person and tracking a learner’s performance and progress in an online course to provide timely interventions to support their learning.

Substantive interaction is more prescriptive. Substantive interaction involves engaging students in teaching, learning, and assessment activities consistent with the content under discussion that include at least two of the following:

• Providing direct instruction (synchronous only);
• Assessing or giving feedback on a student’s coursework;
• Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or competency;
• Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency and/or
• Other instructional activities as approved by the institutional or programmatic accrediting agency.

Regular and substantive work together to ensure our learners have a robust learning experience that our faculty intentionally supports.

 

The final result of completing a class in a competency-based education course of study is the same as MLC’s on-campus undergraduate programs. Letter grades are recorded on the official transcript of a learner who graduates from MLC with an undergraduate baccalaureate degree. These letter grades are then calculated as a term and a cumulative GPA.

There is, however, a difference in grading in our CBE courses. Assessments and activities can be connected to competencies. To complete the class, learners must achieve a proficient or mastery mark on all competencies. Learners are allowed to attempt the assessment or activity multiple times until they achieve at least a proficient score.

The design does not diminish a learner’s accomplishment in their classes. Instead, it assures that individuals who have completed their study in the competency-based education model have a minimum level of understanding of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors expected of a called worker serving in our Synod.