Course-Based Education
Walden University courses are offered entirely over the internet. Students access courses through their myWalden university portal. Courses have definite start and completion dates, and typically require students to log in a specific number of times a week. Select courses in specific programs may have a face-to-face requirement, depending on discipline or regulatory requirements.
The Walden online learning environment is asynchronous, meaning that students can contribute to course discussions when it’s most convenient within a specified period. There are weekly topics, required readings, and assignments listed in the course syllabus. The flow of online dialogue is preserved in a coherent format that allows students to retrace their classmates’ conversation as it unfolds.
Students should expect to spend an average of 15 to 20 hours a week per course reading, contributing to discussions, and working on assignments and assessments.
Student Responsibility in an Online Learning Environment
In an online learning environment, students and faculty are actively engaged in the learning process. In such an environment, students will encounter many viewpoints on issues that may be different than their own. Additionally, expectations for learning in a distance environment may be different from what they are used to. Therefore, students are expected to adhere to the following standards:
- Read carefully and understand the requirements as published in the course syllabus. Pay particular attention to deadlines for submitting work. Develop an alternative technology plan should the student’s primary means of classroom contact be unavailable.
- Read all postings by faculty members and classmates. Being able to provide and receive critical and constructive feedback is important for one’s academic success.
- Respect differing viewpoints based on cultural and intellectual differences as part of healthy intellectual exchange.
- Contact the faculty member if they (1) need additional feedback, (2) are unclear about any aspect of the course assignments, or (3) are not feeling comfortable with some other aspect of the course.
- Provide and receive critical and constructive feedback in the Discussion Board from colleagues as outlined in the posting rubric. Students should conduct themselves as they would in a classroom environment.
- Be aware of issues of confidentiality. Students should be especially careful of what they disclose about themselves or others in the virtual classroom environment.
Students should contact the Student Success Advising Team if they have any questions related to their program of study or if they are experiencing difficulty in the classroom.
Tempo Learning® Competency-Based Education
Tempo Learning® is an alternative modality of learning to Walden's existing course-based modality. Instead of courses, the Walden Tempo Learning® program is comprised of Competencies and rigorous Assessments. Students progress through the Tempo Learning® model by successfully passing Competency Assessments. A student must successfully achieve or master all Competency Assessments to graduate from the program.
Students who have prior knowledge of a specific Competency may choose to use this knowledge or experience to complete the Assessment at any time. Each Competency is broken down into Modules or Sub-Competencies and Learning Objectives that have Learning Resources and Activities designed to help students prepare for their Competency Assessment.
Most Assessments present performance-based tasks or situations, such as case studies. Several of the Assessments are more authentic "work products" designed as showcases for students to present to their current or prospective employers as credible proof of their new learning, skills, and abilities.
The order in which students take their program Competencies is dependent upon the program and the students' individual preferences. Provided that the program allows, students can select the order in which they prefer to work on their Competencies and assessments, but should be mindful that some competencies are prerequisites for others. Additionally, students may work on up to 3 competencies at a time. Once an assessment is submitted and the submission is reflected in the student portal, students may open up a new competency.
Learning Model
The Walden Tempo Learning® model is a hierarchical framework that provides students with a connected learning experience. This hierarchy connects the degree's program outcomes all the way down to the very granular building blocks of knowledge and skill sets that students must demonstrate to graduate.
Working through the hierarchy, a program is first divided into several domains or "Areas of Expertise." An Area of Expertise comprises multiple related Competencies that are each directly mapped to the program outcomes. Each Competency is then broken down into discrete Modules or Sub-Competencies. Modules or Sub-Competencies are scaffolded to provide the student with the necessary knowledge and skills required to demonstrate proficiency of the full Competency. Modules or Sub-Competencies are further broken down into Learning Objectives, which act as the basic building blocks of knowledge and skills that direct student learning and guide the successful completion of the final Assessment for each Competency. Each Learning Objective is accompanied by a set of Learning Resources and Learning Activities. Learning Resources include articles, video, audio, websites, and text chapters. Learning Activities include quizzes, interactive tools, critical reflection prompts, learning games, mini case-study analyses, and guided practice.
Competency Assessment Overview
Students' proficiency of program Competencies is measured with a detailed, varied, and extensive set of Assessments. In addition to evaluating the students' proficiency of the Competencies, Assessments also serve as tools for students to apply their knowledge in authentic work situations.
The Competency, Competency Assessment, and Rubric are presented to students, along with a set of Modules or Sub-Competencies and Learning Objectives that break down what is required to be proficient in the Competency. This presentation is designed to show students the direct link between Competencies and Assessments and what is expected of them to demonstrate proficiency.
The well-defined Rubric, which accompanies each Assessment, provides clear expectations for students and enables consistent feedback from faculty. Each Rubric row aligns with a Learning Objective. Students must meet or exceed expectations on all Learning Objectives in a given Assessment to pass the Competency. Any Learning Objectives that are not met may be repeated up to three times.
Upon completion of an Assessment, students receive feedback from the Faculty SME that indicates their level of achievement. If students do not meet or exceed expectations on one or more parts of the Assessment, they are directed back to the aligned Sub-Competencies, Learning Objectives, and associated Learning Resources and Activities for additional study and practice.
Types of Assessments
Work Products (WP) are performance assessments that evaluate student learning at the highest cognition levels. Work Products may require students to perform a task, write an essay applying their learning, craft a research paper, create a plan, build a portfolio, and complete a data analysis, among others. Work Products are highly personalized and open-ended, requiring a unique response from each student, and often simulating authentic workplace application of learning in a specific field. Work Products are evaluated by Faculty SMEs using a Rubric whose criteria align with the Modules or Sub-Competencies and Learning Objectives. Since sections of the Work Products are directly aligned to the Modules or Sub-Competencies, faculty members are able to identify which areas of a Competency students should repeat, if necessary.
Performance Tasks (PT) are another type of performance assessment. However, unlike Work Products that result in a personalized, open-ended application, Performance Tasks are based on scenarios or case studies. Using text, video, or a combination of both, students are introduced to the situation and receive all necessary charts, data, documents, and other supporting information. Performance Tasks are also evaluated by Faculty SMEs using a Rubric, although the evaluation is more generalizable than a Work Product. Like the Work Product, the sections of the Rubric are aligned directly to the Modules or Sub-Competencies.
Short Answer Assessments (SA) or Written Responses (WR) are open-ended, one- to three-paragraph responses. Students may be presented short scenarios or mini-case studies and asked to respond to prompts that test both higher and lower levels of cognition. Short Answer Assessments are evaluated by Faculty SMEs.
Selected Response Assessments (SR) or Objective Assessments (OA) are system-scored and can include items such as multiple-choice questions, ranking, sorting, or matching tests.
The Tempo Learning® Academic Coaches are critical to ensuring that students receive the support and guidance they need to make progress throughout their entire academic program. Students are encouraged to connect regularly with their Academic Coach.
The Customized Learning Plan (CLP) for Tempo Learning® students is developed at the beginning of a program with the help of the Academic Coach, and it is updated at the start of each term. It allows students to map out their educational journey and change that map to account for any unexpected academic or life challenges.
The CLP details the students’ learning goals for each term, including which Competencies and Assessments the students plan to complete. The CLP also tracks their progress against credit equivalencies. This tool also provides the Academic Coach with a view into each student’s progress as mapped against their goals, providing another mechanism for coaching and student support.
Students are required to create their CLP for the term and agree to credits within the first 2 weeks of the term. If a student does not complete their CLP and agree to credits within the first 2 weeks of the term, the student will be removed from the Tempo Learning® modality.
For the purpose of this section, legacy programs are identified as the following:
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- Master of Science in Early Childhood Studies
- Graduate Certificate in Applied Project Management
- Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Administration, Management, and Leadership
Standard programs are identified as the following:
- Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
- MS in Criminal Justice
- MS in Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology
- MS in Psychology
- BS in Business Administration
- BS in Criminal Justice
- BS in Early Childhood Studies
- BS in Health Studies
- BS in Healthcare Management
- BS in Public Health
Revised programs are identified as the following:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA)
Ensuring students are receiving regular and meaningful support from Walden faculty is a key hallmark of any Walden program. To ensure Tempo Learning® students are getting the necessary support from Walden faculty members, students are required to engage with a Walden Faculty SME at least once for each Competency in the program. For legacy and standard programs, engagement with Faculty SMEs will begin with students completing their Self-Assessment and engaging with their SME via messaging regarding their level of comfort with the Learning Objectives for that Competency. For revised programs, engagement is met once students post a response in the Competency Discussion board.
The intention of this policy is to ensure students are getting meaningful support from Walden faculty while still retaining the flexibility to learn and complete competencies at their own pace. Outside of the initial required engagement, students may communicate with their SMEs in a variety of ways including:
- Discussion Boards within the learning platform
- Attending Faculty SME Office Hours, if available
Students should engage in some sort of measurable academic activity as often as possible but no less than once in each 30-day period. Student engagement in the learning platform is continually tracked and monitored. If a student has failed to demonstrate academic engagement in the learning platform for 30 consecutive days, the student will be considered an unofficial withdrawal and will be administratively withdrawn from the modality.
The following are examples of measurable academic activities:
- Submit a Self-Assessment
- Complete a Quiz or pre-assessment
- Submit an Assessment
- Access Learning Resources:
- Articles
- Websites
- Book Excerpts
- Media
- Explorations
- Knowledge Checks
- Post in the Competency Discussion Board
- Post in the Connect With My Faculty SME Discussion Board
Students who are withdrawn for failing to complete a measurable activity are still responsible for the subscription term’s tuition and fees based on the tuition refund schedule.
Refer to the Tempo Learning® refund policy for more information. If the student is receiving financial aid, an administrative withdrawal may result in funds being returned to the lender and a larger balance owed to Walden University.
Students who are administratively withdrawn for nonengagement after Day 14 of the term who wish to return to Tempo Learning® should be aware of the following:
- Provided that the student was withdrawn after Day 14 of the term, they will need to sit out for the duration of the term before returning.
- If the student wishes to be reinstated within 12 months of their withdrawal, they will need to submit a petition for reinstatement and should contact their Academic Coach for further instructions.
If the student wishes to return to their studies after 12 months, then they will need to reapply to the program. Please see the readmission policies for more information.
Knowledge Area Modules (KAM)
The Knowledge Area Module (KAM) allows students to investigate a body of knowledge by critically examining its theoretical foundations and evaluating current research and to use this work to develop solutions to real-world problems. Before starting work on a KAM, students write a Learning Agreement that defines their learning and research objectives for that KAM. The Learning Agreement must be reviewed, evaluated, and approved by the instructor who is going to serve as an assessor of the student’s work in that KAM. Completing the corresponding KAM demonstration or comprehensive paper is an iterative process that requires students to consult regularly with their assessors; do extensive reading; perform critical analysis and synthesis; design or conduct related projects; and revise, perhaps more than once, written drafts to produce scholarly products. The KAM demonstration shows students’ mastery of the requisite body of knowledge and achievement of the objectives set forth in their approved Learning Agreements.
KAM Policies and Processes
The KAM and Mixed-Model program is no longer accepting new students. Current students must complete their programs of study in accordance with Walden’s Time-to-Degree Completion policies.
Members of the faculty serve as assessors for KAM demonstrations. Because the Learning Agreement (LA) acts as a contract between students and assessors, faculty assessors must review, evaluate, and approve the proposed research and learning objectives outlined in the Learning Agreement and provide students with appropriate guidance before they begin their research.
The following policies apply to assessor selection and assignment:
- Faculty mentors serve as the assessor for the first KAM undertaken by students.
- In programs with more than two KAMs, students are required to have a minimum of two different assessors for their Learning Agreements/KAMs, where possible.
- The faculty mentor should assess no more than two of a single student’s Learning Agreements/KAMs.
- Students are advised to consult with their faculty mentor, specialization coordinator, or other program leadership when choosing assessors for their KAMs.
- KAMs V, VI, and VII require assessors affiliated with the student’s academic program. To have a faculty member from another program serve as an assessor, students must gain approval from their dean or the dean’s designee.
- Exceptions to these policies are at the discretion of program leadership.
Learning Agreements and KAMs may be reviewed by the dean (or designee) of the relevant school, if appropriate.
When working with an assessor who is not the faculty mentor, the student submits all drafts and final documents to the assessor as email attachments and also submits a copy of all documents to the faculty mentor through the “optional Draft Submissions” area of the Research Forum.
Selecting an Assessor
For the initial KAM demonstration, the faculty mentor serves as the assessor. Students may choose KAM I, II, or III for their initial KAM demonstration. Specialization (KAMs V, VI, and VII) may also be completed in any order. For subsequent KAM demonstrations, students choose the assessor. When choosing subsequent assessors, students may want to consult their faculty mentor, the specialization coordinator, or other program leadership. These activities will assist students in choosing assessors appropriate for the particular KAM and topic.
A KAM Demonstration is the entire KAM document, consisting of all components, the References, and any attachments required for the Application. It is referred to as a Demonstration because it serves to demonstrate that the student has accomplished the objectives outlined in the Learning Agreement.
Prior to the submission of any KAM demonstration, students must have an approved Learning Agreement on file in the registrar’s office. Students are responsible for ensuring their Learning Agreements have been approved prior to developing their KAMs. KAM demonstrations submitted without an approved Learning Agreement on file will be returned to the student.
Submission and Evaluation of a KAM Demonstration
The KAM must be presented in the format indicated by the KAM template as found on the KAM website.
- Students send the initial drafts of their KAM demonstration to their assessor. Students must submit their KAM demonstrations for evaluation electronically as a Word document, either via the optional Draft Submission area of the Research Forum (if the assessor is also the student’s faculty mentor) or as an email attachment.
- An assessor is allowed 10 business days to evaluate a KAM demonstration from the time of its receipt.
- If the assessor determines changes are necessary to the KAM demonstration, the assessor electronically returns feedback and questions to the student so that the KAM demonstration can be revised.
- Students revise their draft KAM demonstrations as needed and resubmit the KAM demonstrations to their assessor.
- At the same time that the final KAM demonstration is submitted, the student must also submit the Learning Agreement.
- All final KAM demonstration documents should also be submitted to the SafeAssign database via the SafeAssign submission process in the Research Forum. All matches (a similarity index greater than 0%) should be examined, ignoring common phrases, block quotations, and references. For all other matches, a focus on the actual content in the paper and not necessarily the source of the match as identified by SafeAssign is appropriate.
- If the assessor approves the student’s KAM demonstration, the assessor submits the rubric and the completed KAM indicating approval via the KAM email account at kamhelp@mail.waldenu.edu. A copy of the approval is sent to the assessor, the faculty mentor, and the student.
- KAM demonstrations not meeting minimum university guidelines as found in the rubric and A Guide to the Knowledge Area Modules may be returned to the assessor for further review and revision.
Notification of Acceptance of the KAM Demonstration by the University
The registrar’s office documents the final ratification of KAM demonstrations and notifies students, assessors, and faculty mentors by email within 14 calendar days. Students are encouraged to check with Student Success Advising to verify that KAM credit has been applied to their transcript and degree audit.
KAM Completion Required Before Beginning Dissertation
This policy is intended for PhD students for whom Knowledge Area Modules (KAMs) are part of their required program.
Submitting the prospectus and having it formally approved by the chair and program leadership is the first official approval step in starting the dissertation. Submitting a prospectus to the chair and assembling a dissertation committee requires successful completion of the following.
- All academic coursework and knowledge area modules (KAMs) in a student’s program of study (POS).
- All core research training experiences in a student’s POS, including all research courses (except the advanced research course for PhD students) and any prospectus development and companion courses.
In addition, two of the four PhD residencies are strongly recommended.
Doctoral students in a KAM-based or mixed-model program are continuously registered in a research forum (e.g., SBSF 7100, SBSF 7101/MGMT 9000, EDUC 8800/9001/9002, DOCT 9000) for the duration of their program. Each course is assigned to a faculty mentor, who is responsible for submitting course grades. At the beginning of each quarter, the students, together with their mentors, make plans for their academic accomplishments and progress for that quarter. At the end of the quarter, the mentors provide students with a grade for the course based on those plans. Students can receive a grade of “S” (Satisfactory) or “U” (Unsatisfactory).
Although a grade of “S” is considered to be equivalent to a letter grade of “B” or better, the university does not convert a grade of “S” to a letter grade.
Upon completion of an entire KAM, students receiving a grade of “S” are awarded the appropriate number of credits. While course grades are transcripted and 6 credit hours are earned each quarter, the credits do not count toward the total credits needed to graduate. Students receiving two consecutive Unsatisfactory grades for their research forum will be reviewed by the dean (or designee) for approval to continue in the program.
Repeating a KAM Demonstration
Students whose KAM demonstrations receive a grade of “U” (Unsatisfactory) are not awarded any credits. With permission from the dean, or designee, these students may repeat the KAM demonstration once.
Before starting work on a KAM, students write a Learning Agreement that defines their learning and research objectives for that KAM. The Learning Agreement must be reviewed, evaluated, and approved by the instructor who is going to serve as an assessor of the student’s work in that KAM. A Learning Agreement acts as a contract between the student and the assessor.
Submission and Evaluation of a Learning Agreement
Students
- Students may complete the core KAMs in any order and may complete the advanced or specialized KAMs in any order after completing all core KAMs or courses (for mixed-model students).
- Students begin their work on a KAM by developing a Learning Agreement for that KAM and submitting it to the KAM assessor.
- The Learning Agreement must be presented in the format indicated by the Learning Agreement template as found on the KAM website.
- Students may have up to two Learning Agreements outstanding at any one time. The registrar’s office will return extra Learning Agreements to the student until a KAM is completed for one of the Learning Agreements on file.
- Students submit their Learning Agreements electronically as Word documents to their assessors via the optional Draft Submission area of the Research Forum and via an email attachment if the KAM assessor is not the student’s faculty mentor.
Assessors
- An assessor is allowed 14 calendar days to evaluate a Learning Agreement from the time of its receipt.
- If the assessor determines that changes are necessary to the Learning Agreement, the assessor electronically returns feedback comments and questions to the student so that the Learning Agreement can be revised and resubmitted. When the assessor is the faculty mentor, comments are returned in the Research Forum.
- When the assessor approves the Learning Agreement, the assessor submits the Learning Agreement and the associated rubric to the registrar via the KAM email account at kamhelp@mail.waldenu.edu. A copy is sent to the assessor, the faculty mentor, and the student.
Notification of Acceptance of the Learning Agreement by the University
The registrar’s office documents the final ratification of Learning Agreements and notifies students, assessors, and faculty mentors by email within 10 business days of receipt of the approved version of the Learning Agreement and the associated rubric. Students are advised to save a copy of this email notification for future reference.
Doctoral programs that require Knowledge Area Modules (KAMs) use a continuous enrollment model. When students first enroll in these programs, they are registered for a foundation course in graduate education. When they are ready to begin the KAM portion of their academic program, they are assigned a faculty mentor. Students are then automatically registered each term by the registrar’s office for a Research Forum, which is directed by the faculty mentor.
After completion of the required foundation course(s), KAM students take courses and write KAMs to complete their programs. Registration in a Research Forum is automatic; for all other courses in the KAM program, students must register using the online registration process. Students do not register for individual KAMs because these are undertaken as part of the Research Forum.
While providing students with the flexibility to advance at their own pace, the university expects that they will work continuously on their program requirements, making progress each quarter. Students are required to make academic progress for each quarter (as per the Term Plan check-in), which is approved by the faculty mentor and evaluated at the end of the term to assure that students are making academic progress. An explanation of appropriate academic progress and related grading is found in the Research Forum (DOCT 9000) course. The bursar’s office bills students each term for the Research Forum at the relevant tuition rate.