SALT LAKE CITY — WGU Labs, the research and development arm of Western Governors University (WGU), has successfully continued its efforts in competency-based education (CBE) implementation at Florida A&M University and Florida Atlantic University. WGU Labs’ CBE Transformation Services began in 2021 to assist colleges and universities in aligning its curriculum to the new CBE-based.
New industry standards mandate a shift for certain accredited nursing programs starting in 2026.
In order to facilitate nursing program transformations, WGU Labs provides institutions with a series of services. For Florida A&M University, WGU Labs carefully reviewed its nursing program’s curricula and assessments to determine how well they align with the competencies from industry standards and the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) project and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Exam (NCLEX) standards. Competencies and learning outcomes have been mapped to current assessments and course activities and gaps in alignment were identified. In addition, WGU Labs will work with Florida A&M University’s nursing faculty to co-design CBE curriculum, assessments, and learning activities. At Florida Atlantic University, WGU Labs offered a series of workshops to help faculty redesign their courses as needed.
“Our partnership with WGU Labs is special,” explained Dr. Shelley Johnson, dean of the School of Nursing at Florida A&M University. “They have collaborated with us as partners and given us a detailed analysis of our courses, programs and workshops. We are appreciative of the incredibly skilled approach that WGU Labs has taken in customizing our CBE framework that's unique to our system and our students.”
“WGU Labs is honored to help colleges and universities find the best ways to offer CBE courses,” said Jason Levin, executive director of WGU Labs. “This work provides institutions with the ability to offer programs that are flexible by allowing learners to demonstrate their mastery of skills, abilities, and dispositions that will be important in the world of work.”
Institutions interested in WGU Labs’ CBE Transformation Services can learn more by visiting www.wgulabs.org/CBEnursing.
About WGU Labs
WGU Labs is the nonprofit EdTech consulting, incubation, research, and design arm of Western Governors University, where our mission is to identify and support scalable solutions that address the biggest challenges in education today. For more information, please visit wgulabs.org.
