The following is a broad view of CBE:

“Competency-based education is an approach to schooling that (1) meets students where they are academically through flexible pacing, (2) provides students with opportunities for choice, and (3) awards credit for evidence of proficiency, not for the amount of time students spend studying a subject.” (Steele, J. L., Lewis, M. W., Santibanez, L., et al., 2014)

CBE is focused on student success and preparation for professional settings. CBE courses integrate skills and teach students how to apply the skills they learn and how to use the skills they master in their job responsibilities.

There are many benefits of competency-based programs at SLCC. A few of these benefits are:

- The courses and assessments are the same for all students, regardless of who the instructor is. This allows students to experience the same learning materials and master the same content, which improves reliability and fairness.
- Students can apply prior knowledge to accelerate through assessments.
- Students demonstrate competency in skills that will be used in the workplace.

In this Biotechnology course, once you have completed the Orientation module, you can move at your own pace with the exception that you must schedule and complete the labs before moving on to subsequent material and assessments.