In the late seventies, the move to extend collegiate opportunities to non-traditional students has been accelerated. In these efforts, individualized instruction and competency based technology has emerged as a tool that provides an appropriate handle for extending college degrees. This paper presents an overview of the revitalized emphasis on individualized instruction and competency based education as a means of implementing ways to extend existing on-campus college and university programs to adult students in an off-campus format. Current operating models of individualized instructional designs in higher education are discussed as examples of formal plans for utilizing individualization of instruction and CBE technology to extend opportunities to non-traditional students. A conclusion offered is that non-traditional students, individualization of instruction, CBE technology, and the concept of the new extended degree, when combined, form a catalyst which has a great deal of potential for altering the traditional characteristics of higher education as they exist today.
