Belton, Texas – The students in the University of Mary Hardin Baylor’s latest program will never sit inside a classroom. That is because MyWay at UMHB is a completely online, competency-based program unlike any the university has ever offered.
“This program is not designed for the traditional student coming out of high school,” Dr. Chrisann Merriman, Interim Director of Distance Learning, said. “It is designed for people who may have taken a number of college courses, possibly from multiple institutions, but never completed their degree.”
The transfer-friendly nature of MyWay is one of its most unique features.
“Some competency-based programs will not allow students to transfer any credits,” Merriman said. “We’re going to work with our students based on what they already know and award them competencies accordingly.”
Once they enroll in the program, MyWay at UMHB students do not pay for individual courses. Instead, the program is based on a subscription model.
“Students pay $3,000 for a six-month subscriptions,” Merriman said. “During that time, the work is truly self-paced, and students have the ability to complete as many competencies as they are able to demonstrate they have mastered.”
Nicole Fischer, the Assistant Director of Recruiting of Competency-Based Education, is quick to point out that those costs cover every facet of the program.
“It’s completely inclusive,” Fischer said. “Everything they need in order to be successful is included in that subscription. There are no books to buy or other fees.”
The subscription includes all the materials for the competencies on which a student is currently working as well as those for every competency that came before it, including any for which the student transferred in credit from a previous program.
For students who suffer from test anxiety, MyWay may offer a degree of relief. MyWay competencies are demonstrated through authentic assessments called “badges.”
“To be able to measure people’s knowledge, you can’t just give them a multiple choice test,” Fischer said. “We ask them to create artifacts, be it a paper or presentation, to really show that they have mastered that competency.”
Along the way, MyWay students have access to Success Coaches, Subject Experts, and Resource Coaches, all of whom are dedicated to helping students navigate the program and reach their goals.
Merriman says that, while MyWay students have a different format for their degree program, they will be viewed and treated like traditional students.
“They are invited to any and all activities happening on campus,” Merriman said. “We’ll be constantly having interactions with them throughout their program, and they are invited to participate in graduation after completing their degree.”
Fischer has been talking to students as they register for the program and says that the feedback has been inspiring.
“A lot of them are people who paused their education to take care of families, and it’s something they’ve always wanted to finish but have never had the opportunity,” Fischer said. “It’s really important to them to take that next step in their careers and their lives.”
The first MyWay at UMHB will begin on Monday, August 15, but, due to the customizable nature of the program, new students will be able to enroll on the 15th day of every subsequent month. The program will be limited to just 50 students during its first year.
For more information, visit the MyWay at program’s website at MyWay.UMHB.edu.
