Resilience in Serving Adult Students in a Changing Landscape: Solutions and Innovations in Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) COMBASE, Denver September 23, 2018 Jeannie McCarron - Director, Higher Education Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)

Agenda Introduction to CAEL Adult learner demographic overview Shifting focus: Data &Trends Innovations in Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) PLA Accelerator LearningCounts™ Evaluation with the Adult Learner 360 Discussion

Introduction to CAEL Council for Adult and Experiential Learning A 501(c)(3) non-profit, international organization with nearly 44 years of lifelong learning experience National leader in PLA best practices, research, and writing Dedicated to removing barriers to adult learning Recognized by regional accrediting bodies CAEL is a non profit organization that works at all levels within higher education, public and private sectors to help adults access the education and credentials they need. For 40 years, we’ve helped higher education institutions build programs and services to serve and support adult students A pioneer in identifying best practices in assessment of experiential learning, CAEL is now considered the national expert in Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) – the process by which colleges evaluate college-level knowledge and skills gained by adults outside of an academic setting We helped hundreds of colleges and universities build and enhance their own PLA programs.

CAEL’s Unique Integrator Role Colleges & universities Corporations Labor unions Government, community and philanthropic entities Public Policymakers

CAEL’s Overarching Goal: Meaningful Learning, Credentials, and Work for Every Adult For more than 44 years, CAEL has been linking adults’ lifelong learning with credits and careers

Demographics Are Shifting To view all sources for data used in this document, please visit www.luminafoundation.org/todays-students-citations.

Demographics Are Shifting To view all sources for data used in this document, please visit www.luminafoundation.org/todays-students-citations.

CAEL Works to Reverse the Trend Adults must overcome unique challenges. It is no surprise that fewer than 40% of adult learners meet their academic completion goals.

Overall College Student Population Source: The Parthenon Group, “The Differentiated University

Who Are Your Adult Students? Career Accelerators Industry Switchers Academic Wanderers Career Accelerators (Advancing) Older Going to college to advance in their career Some prior college Value non-traditional delivery methods Need strong up-front career counseling / advising/ placement Industry Switchers (Changing Careers) Motivated by under or unemployment Looking at entirely different field or industry Value institutions strategic partnerships with labor market Need assistance with career advising and transitions Academic Wanders Believe college credentials will open doors Lower income or unemployed Not satisfied with previous college experience Need assistance with academic performance

The Lens for Shared Challenges Declining or Static Enrollment Numbers Barriers to Persistence/ Retention Increasing Completion/ Degree Attainment Numbers National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) projections of HE enrollment from 2007–2018 suggest that the number of students over 25 will remain stable or increase during the current decade WICHE reports by 2020 fewer high school grads than in 2013 Marc Singer suggests diminishing numbers of adults due to higher employment ½ of US undergraduate students fail to persist to degree completion according to the Lumina Foundation The average student loan debt is $28,400 according to The Institute for College Access & Success Only 1/3 of non first-time students who reenroll in a postsecondary degree program successfully complete it per the National Student Clearing House

Continued Innovations for Adults Accelerated course scheduling Online and Hybrid course offerings CBE courses/ programs Increased opportunities for PLA Apprenticeships Washington Monthly Babson Survey Research Group

Why is PLA Important? 75% of Americans would be more likely to enroll in higher education if they could receive credit for what they already know. America’s Call for Higher Education Redesign, Lumina Foundation, Feb. 2013

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Experiential Learning Assessment for Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL) Validation and Accreditation of Experience (VAE) Prior Learning Assessment Recognition (PLAR) Learning from Experience TimewiseTN (Tennessee’s statewide PLA initiative) Recognizing & Assessing Prior Learning (Rhode Island)

What is Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)? Prior Learning Assessment is the process for evaluating knowledge and skills to award college credit for learning from: On-the-job training Independent Study Military and Volunteer Service Training Courses and/or Certifications Work Experience

PLA Suits Adult Students Feel Empowered Feel Motivated Decrease Cost Persist toward completion (Resilience!) Sources: CAEL, Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success, 2010; CAEL, Random Access: The Latino Experience with Prior Learning Assessment, 2014

Student Retention Students with PLA take MORE courses at the college. Students with PLA credits take on average 9.9 more course credits than students without PLA credit. Source: CAEL, Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success, 2010

Graduation and Completion 2 X Community College/Technical College students are 2 times more likely to persist to graduation

Hispanic Student Graduation Rates 3 X 3 times more likely to persist to Associate’s degree the actual number is 7.8 times more likely to graduate

Multiple PLA Methods Student Portfolios Evaluated Non-College Training Industry Recognized Certificates Evaluated Non-College Training Standardized Tests Student Portfolios College Credit, Persistence, Graduation [go through them] There are quality standards for PLA - CAEL set the standards – many accrediting bodies reference the standards. Some examples: credit is for learning, not for experience. Determination of credit awards must be made by appropriate subject matter experts. There should be clear policies and procedures for assessing learning and awarding credit for it. CAEL has been validating PLA for nearly 40 years – and training faculty, and helping institutions develop their programs. [Note handout with some of our training opportunities and publications. Also please note that we have an annual conference every November.] For four decades, we have known what’s good about PLA – recognizes learning no matter where it takes place. Saves students time and money. But we also heard from advisors who believe that PLA has a motivating effect. [explain why] But for most of this time, there was no real proof that PLA motivated students to persist and reach their educational goals. But now that has changed.

Prior Learning Assessment What often goes wrong? Confusing path for students Option not communicated to students by advisors or faculty Colleges do not promote PLA, especially community colleges Documenting learning in writing a barrier for many students

Best Practices in PLA: 10 Principles of Readiness   1).  There should be an institutional commitment to serving adult learners. 2).  Assessment practices should be in place at the institutional or program level that examine learning outcomes. 3).  There should be a culture of innovation and openness to change. 4).  There should be student or market readiness indicators (i.e. requested opportunities to earn credit by demonstrating work/life experience-based learning) 5).  There should be a clear rationale for implementing PLA. 6).  There should be cross-functional and systematic support or excitement for PLA. 7).  A PLA Handbook and corresponding policy should be in place and available to everyone. 8).  Roles and responsibilities relating to PLA implementation should be clarified and transparent. 9).  A commitment to PLA training and professional development should be in place. 10).  Metrics to monitor effectiveness and continuous improvement should be in place. (instead of reading the bullets, read this…) THE PLA Accelerator formalizes what may be an inconsistent intake process. This tool also helps to build capacity for advisers. Once the student has completed the tool, their adviser can review the detailed informal and formal learning history, and make recommendations for the best prior learning assessment (PLA) options. If an adviser used to have a full hour long conversation with the student learning about and documenting their prior learning, now they can spend time talking to the student about their next steps instead of data gathering. And, this data is stored for later access (by both the student and the adviser). The tool itself does not recommend any certain method of PLA, advisers can make recommendations based on the students’ experience and expertise, and your institution’s policies. We are building robust reports that will help you measure the impact of your PLA Programs.

Innovations: LearningCounts™ Online Portfolio Development Course Portfolio Tool and Guidance Individualized Assessment by Faculty Here is a high-level overview of the LC service: LC has 3 elements THE online course which teaches students how to build a portfolio against a specific course from your catalog; LC Courses to teach students how to discover and document their own college-level learning and build portfolios online The e-portfolio tool allows students to submit the portfolio online to be evaluated by LC assessors, or your own faculty trained as LC assessors Students can build multiple portfolios, but they’ll want to be sure the portfolio credit will fit within their degree plan.

Innovations: LearningCounts™ Here is a high-level overview of the LC service: LC has 3 elements THE online course which teaches students how to build a portfolio against a specific course from your catalog; LC Courses to teach students how to discover and document their own college-level learning and build portfolios online The e-portfolio tool allows students to submit the portfolio online to be evaluated by LC assessors, or your own faculty trained as LC assessors Students can build multiple portfolios, but they’ll want to be sure the portfolio credit will fit within their degree plan.

Popular Portfolio Subjects Business and Management Information Systems/Technology Human Resources Finance/Accounting Criminal Justice/Legal Hospitality/Event Management Healthcare Administration 80% Success Rate The portfolio areas reflect the most common kinds of jobs that adult students are doing. These aren’t the only topics, but they are most common.

Innovations: Helping Students and Advisors Navigate PLA - PLA Accelerator 3-Minute Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiAOI-WKLy8&feature=youtu.be

Innovations: Helping Students and Advisors Navigate PLA - PLA Accelerator Engage with students at an earlier stage of the funnel Capture student matches to all forms of PLA Help faculty and administrators understand the demand for PLA Useful both for in-house PLA programs and LearningCounts colleges Support services include advisor training and marketing tools

Questions? Feedback. Discussion. What can CAEL do for you? Jeannie McCarron, Director, Higher Ed Phone: 303.804.4669 Email: jmccarron@cael.org CAEL Website: www.cael.org