As Jayson Boyers argues over at the Huffington Post, competency-based education omits the social and relationship-based aspects of a college education, which often yield as much career benefit as classroom knowledge to those just entering the workforce.
In addition to the argument about the competency-based education approach presenting a poor simulacrum of the traditional higher education experience, there is also the nagging question as to whether the students who pursue this type of accreditation have truly gained the same level of subject area knowledge and expertise as those who have slogged through four years of course work.
If we called a timeout though and shifted our mindset and our education system to a competency-based learning one one in which new assessments could help drive the shift might we see a different picture develop?
Unlike regular degree programs, which provide a macro education on a general topic (say, Computer Science), badges certify micro-based competency in a very specific skill (say, JavaScript).