Building Learner-Centered Systems with Competency-Based Education

August 20th, 2025, 3:00 PM – 4:00PM Eastern Time

What if Extension programming was truly built around the needs, goals, and lived experiences of learners? In this session, Amber Garrison Duncan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), will explore how Extension professionals can design open, flexible, and outcomes-driven systems using the principles of Competency-Based Education (CBE). Drawing on her national leadership in credential innovation, quality assurance, and digital learning records, Amber will provide practical strategies for building learner-centered pathways which recognize what students know and can do – regardless of where they gained their knowledge. Whether building or refreshing curriculum, designing engagement strategies, or working to embed access into every layer of your programming, this seminar offers fresh insights and actionable steps to move from aspiration to implementation.

Amber Garrison Duncan
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Amber Garrison Duncan is a nationally recognized leader in postsecondary transformation, with a career spanning institutions, nonprofits, and philanthropy. Currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), she brings expertise in learning frameworks, credential recognition, digital records, quality assurance, and open data standards. Prior to C-BEN, Amber served as a grant maker at Lumina Foundation and held assessment and student affairs roles at the University of Oregon, Florida State, University of Michigan, Hope College, and Texas A&M. Her work is driven by a passion for learner-centered systems and a belief in the power of bold, collaborative change.

Amber Garrison Duncan - presenter

AgriProspects is supported through a cooperative agreement between the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Extension Foundation under the AFRI Education and Workforce Development Competitive Grant 2023-67037-40533. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website and consultative support are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Extension Foundation.

Extension Foundation
AgriProspects Workforce Development Network

The Extension Foundation is a nonprofit established by Extension Directors and Administrators nationwide. Extension Foundation is embedded in the U.S. Cooperative Extension System and serves on Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP).

This work is supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)-National Extension Clearinghouse for Industry and the Workforce, project award no. 2023-67037-40533, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website and consultative support are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Extension Foundation.

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