Cathy Scutta (from left) and Kristina Zaccaria, of the CLM Center of Excellence, chat with WVU doctoral student Corynn Simon in preparation for a new microcredential offered by the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences in partnership with the CLM Center of Excellence and Tucci Learning Solutions.
Applications are now being accepted for a new West Virginia University microcredential designed to boost support for Mountain State educators and their students via an innovative teaching method pioneered by late WVU alumna Vicci Tucci.
The sequential four-part pathway teaches the Competent Learner Model, an educational framework that enhances learning outcomes for all students — especially those with learning and behavioral challenges. Tucci’s business, Tucci Learning Solutions, provided an in-kind gift worth $550,000 to help launch the microcredential, a partnership between the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Department of Psychology and the CLM Center of Excellence, a division of Tucci Learning Solutions.
Claire St. Peter, chair of the Department of Psychology and Eberly Family Professor for Outstanding Public Service and Behavior Analysis, said the Competent Learner Model is a helpful tool for students pursuing careers in education, including teachers, school administrators, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and other professionals who could benefit from a consistent and structured teaching approach.
She noted that it’s particularly useful for educators in West Virginia where attrition and burnout have led to teacher shortages.
“Whenever we can, we need to push more resources into our education systems so teachers feel supported and have a strong sense of how to make their students successful in the learning environment,” St. Peter said.
“Teachers don’t get into the job for the pay. Teachers get into the job because they want to see the outcome of student growth. But, if we’re not providing them with the skills to be able to see that growth across a wide array of learners, we run the risk of losing highly qualified teachers. That is the case across the nation and in West Virginia, so we’re hoping to have a positive local impact thanks to this gift from Tucci Learning Solutions.”
Tucci and St. Peter began working together to establish the microcredential at WVU prior to Tucci’s passing on Feb. 7, 2024. She was committed to making a difference in her native West Virginia after returning home from California’s central coast, where she lived and worked for more than 30 years.
Tucci’s career path was shaped by her experience growing up near Weston State Hospital, a Lewis County facility that treated patients with mental health issues. Her mother and grandmother humanized the patients there, teaching her they deserved compassion and kindness like anyone else. She eventually worked there as recreation director — while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in psychology at WVU — and found her calling as an advocate for people with cognitive and behavioral challenges.
Tucci continued her education at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, where she earned her master’s degree in psychology and specialized in applied behavior analysis. Inspired by influential behaviorist B.F. Skinner and her own work with Monterey County (Calif.) schools, Tucci integrated positive teaching approaches based on evidence-based principles of applied behavior analysis, precision teaching and direct instruction to develop the Competent Learner Model.
Cathy Scutta, a longtime colleague, mentee and friend of Tucci’s who leads the CLM Center of Excellence, said the model is designed to make the learning process fun and accessible for everyone by ensuring learners are equipped with the skills they need to succeed. CLM is now used by countless learners in the United States and at least 10 different countries.
“I hope the Competent Learner Model becomes part of Vicci Tucci’s legacy at West Virginia University and for the state,” Scutta said. “But also, even bigger than that, one of her main goals was to ‘build nations of competent learners.’ She wanted this to impact educators and therapists worldwide in ways that would allow them to help their most vulnerable populations, and I hope that’s what our work together will do. For WVU to offer this microcredential, it’s channeling Vicci. It would be the honor of her lifetime.”
Organizers of the new CLM microcredential at WVU include (from left) Kristina Zaccaria, of the CLM Center of Excellence; Corynn Simon, WVU doctoral student; Kathryn Kestner, WVU Psychology faculty; Claire St. Peter, chair of the WVU Department of Psychology and Eberly Family Professor for Outstanding Public Service and Behavior Analysis; Cathy Scutta, director of the CLM Center of Excellence; Ruth Broomall, spouse of Vicci Tucci; Janette Gidley, senior executive director of principal gifts for the WVU Foundation; and Gregory Dunaway, dean of the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
The four-part pathway begins with CLM Foundations. The fully online curriculum includes both synchronous and asynchronous work, with required meetings every other week. Participants must have access to a learner with whom they can practice and demonstrate their CLM skills.
The length of time it takes to earn each microcredential is about a semester. Participants can generally expect to spend four to six hours per week working on the curriculum to make progress.
WVU faculty, staff and students interested in pursuing the CLM credential can find more information through WVU Badges. Professionals outside the WVU network can register through the new WVU Mountaineer Micro Academy.
Tucci Learning Solutions provides consultative and training services for educators and parents of children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, other developmental disabilities and challenging behavioral difficulties in academic, home and community settings. The CLM Center of Excellence, is the division of Tucci that promotes and supports global CLM dissemination by connecting people with training, implementation resources and research opportunities.
The gift from Tucci Learning Solutions was made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.