Becoming an Adult Learning Focused Institution: Why and How

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Becoming an Adult Learning Focused Institution
Why and How

• Susan Kelly PhD FAPS
• Acting Vice President
• Council for Adult Experiential Learning (CAEL)
• Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
• Enrollment Management Conference
• February 2, 2006

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Todays Presentation

• Adult Learning Economic Development
• Adult Learner Characteristics
• CAELs Adult Learner Focused Institution (ALFI)
  initiative and Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
• The ALFI Toolkit
• Recommendations

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The Need for Lifelong Learning in the U.S.

• Skills gap
• 42 of occupational categories with projected new
  job growth in the next decade will require a
  college degree or other post secondary award,
  compared to 29 in 2000.
• Source Bureau of Labor Statistics (2001).
  Employment Outlook 2000-2010 Occupational
  Employment Projections to 2010. Online at,
  http//stats.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2001/11/art4full.pdf
  
• 85 of jobs are classified as skilled or
  require education beyond high school.
• Source National Commission on Mathematics and
  Science Teaching for the 21st Century (2000).
  Before Its Too Late. Online at,
  http//www.ed.gov/inits/Math/glenn/index.html

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The Need for Lifelong Learning

• At the same time, a slowing in the growth of
  educational attainment.
• A 2003 Aspen Institute Study estimates that there
  was a 19 percent increase in the share of workers
  with post-high school education over the last 20
  years. That will drop to 4 percent in the next 20
  years.
• Source The Aspen Institute (2003) Grow Faster
  Together Or Grow Slowly Apart How Will America
  Work in the 21st Century? Online at,
  http//www.aspeninst.org/AspenInstitute/files/CCLI
  BRARYFILES/FILENAME/0000000225/DSGBrochure_final.p
  df

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• Education Has a Clear and Compelling Impact on
  Salary Levels and Job Stability

Source Bureau of Labor Statistics (2004).
Education and Training Pays. Online at,
http//www.bls.gov/emp/emped00.pdf.
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How Oklahoma Measures Up

• Only 3.4 of working adults (aged 25 to 49) in OK
  were enrolled postsecondary education as of 2004
  a decline from 4.4 in 1994
• Top States in U.S. enrolled 5.4 of population in
  postsecondary ed.
• OKs investment in postsecondary ed. is below
  U.S. average
• OK ranks low in offering affordable higher
  education (states investment in need-based
  financial aid is very low coupled with lack of
  low-priced college opportunities)

Source National Center for Public Policy and
Higher Education (2004). Measuring Up State
Report Card. Online at, http//measuringup.highere
ducation.org/stateProfileNet.cfm?myYear2004state
nameOklahomacat10yr
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How Oklahoma Measures Up

• OK awards fewer undergraduate credentials at all
  levels than U.S. average
• OK is a net importer of residents with associate
  degrees and a net exporter of residents with
  bachelors degrees or higher
• OK has large net in-migration of less educated
  residents (high school diploma or less)

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The Adult Learner
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Who is the Adult Learner ?

• Generally, 25 years or older
• Working FT with kids with other
  identities/roles
• 45 of U.S. undergrads are over 25 years old
• 75 have at least one non-traditional attribute
• Increasing numbers of younger students (18-24)
  have the characteristics of adult
  learnersworking, family responsibilities, etc.

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Barriers for Adult Learners

• Situational
• Dispositional
• Institutional

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Main Factors in Decision to Enroll for Adult
Learners

• Convenient time and place for classes
• Flexible pacing for completing program
• Ability to transfer credits
• Reputation of institution
• Requirement for current or future job
• Credit for learning gained from life/work
  experiences
• Availability of online courses
• Availability of financial assistance
• Tuition Assistance for employer
• Availability of child care

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CAELs Mission

• To advance lifelong learning in partnership with
  educational institutions, employers, labor
  organizations, government, and communities
• To remove barriers and expand lifelong learning
  opportunities for adults, regardless of age

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CAEL Connects
CAELs Lifelong Learning Work
Colleges and Universities
Adult Learners
Employers and Unions
Government and Community
CAELs Workforce Development Work
CAELs Public Policy Work
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ALFI (Adult Learning Focused Institution) Project
Origins

• CAELs 1999 Benchmarking Study of six
  high-performing, adult-serving colleges and
  universities
• Best Practices in Adult Learning, a CAEL book
  released in 1999
• Study findings distilled into eight Principles of
  Effectiveness

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The ALFI Principles

• Outreach The institution conducts outreach to
  adult learners by overcoming barriers of time,
  place, and tradition in order to create lifelong
  access to educational opportunities
• Life Career Planning The institution
  addresses adult learners life and career goals
  before or at the onset of enrollment in order to
  assess and align its capacities to help learners
  reach their goals
• Financing The institution promotes choice using
  an array of payment options for adult learners in
  order to expand equity and financial flexibility
• Assessment of Learning Outcomes The institution
  defines and assesses the knowledge, skills and
  competencies acquired by adult learners both from
  the curriculum and from life/work experience in
  order to assign credit and confer degrees with
  rigor

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The ALFI Principles (cont.)

• Teaching-Learning Process The institutions
  faculty uses multiple methods of instruction
  (including experiential and problem-based
  methods) for adult learners in order to connect
  curricular concepts to useful knowledge and
  skills
• Student Support Systems The institution assists
  adult learners using comprehensive academic and
  student support systems in order to enhance
  students capacities to become self-directed,
  lifelong learners
• Technology The institution uses information
  technology to provide relevant and timely
  information and to enhance the learning
  experience
• Strategic Partnerships The institution engages
  in strategic relationships, partnerships, and
  collaborations with employers and other
  organizations in order to develop and improve
  educational opportunities for adult learners

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An Example of One ALFI Principle in Action

• 4 Assessment of Learning Outcomes
• Multiple techniques used
• Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) for course credit
  is one

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PLA Helps With Retention and Success

• PLA Performance
• 2001 Simpson College study 75 retention for
  those with PLA vs. 38 for those without PLA
• Portfolio PLA students tend to show higher
  cumulative GPAs (Studies in 1992 _at_ University of
  Maryland University College, and in 2003 among
  1600 students in 4 Illinois public colleges)

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PLA is Important to Adult Learners

• 2000 College Board study of 1500 adults rated
  credit for prior learning policy as more
  important than small class size or
  availability of financial aid

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The ALFI Assessment Tools

• Adult Learner Inventory (Noel-Levitz CAEL)
  adult student survey based on ALFI
• Institutional Self-Assessment Survey (CAEL) is
  for adult degree program administrators
• Both tools piloted in 2002-2003 and released in
  2004
• To date, nearly 50 institutions have used the
  ALFI Toolkit 29 community colleges currently
  participating in new pilot of tools created
  specifically for them

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Institutional Self-Assessment Survey

• Available both in institutional and unit-level
  versions to accommodate free-standing colleges,
  or colleges/divisions within universities, with
  adult missions
• Completed by an institutional team across the
  broad range of functions marketing, admission,
  financing, instruction, to name a few

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Adult Learner Inventory

• Web based
• 40 items rating importance and satisfaction
• 10 customized items for institution
• Demographic items with 2 open items

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ALI Scores

• Importance scores
• How important is it for your program to meet this
  expectation?
• Satisfaction scores
• How satisfied are you that your program is
  meeting this expectation?
• Performance gap scores
• The discrepancy between the expectation
  (importance score) and the reality (satisfaction
  score).

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ALI Scores

• Scores are entered into CAELs national ALI
  database
• Institutions can compare their scores to others
• All data is confidential and used only by the
  institution

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How Institutions have used the Tools

• Facilitated rich discussion debate
• Targeted areas that need attention
• Focused attention on adult learner needs and
  issues
• Helped with accreditation, market niche
  reporting, planning, evaluation
• Significant correlation between colleges doing
  well on ALFI assessments and retention of adult
  students

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CAELs Recommendations Policy LevelState
Federal

• Redesign Student Aid to Support Adult and
  Lifelong Learners
• Make Education Tax Credits More Accessible to
  Working Adults
• Promote and Support Lifelong Learning Accounts
  (LiLAs)
• Develop a New State-Federal Partnership in Higher
  Education for Working Adults

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CAELs Recommendations Policy LevelState
Federal

• Encourage a Change in Reimbursement Formulas for
  Public Institutions
• Encourage Colleges to Develop Better Transfer
  Articulation Processes
• Highlight Needs of Adult Learners Through
  State-by-State Comparisons

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CAELs Recommendations for Institutional Change

• Use an Array of Payment Options for Adult
  Learners
• e.g. Deferred balances/payments for tuition
  reimbursement students
• Provide More Flexible Delivery of Student Support
• e.g. Educational Advising, Career Planning
• Focus on Making the Teaching-Learning Process
  Relevant to Working Adults

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CAELs Recommendations for Institutional Change
(cont.)

• Measure Institutional Responsiveness to Adults
• e.g. CAELs Adult Learning Focused Institution
  (ALFI) Self Assessment and Adult Student
  Inventory
• Develop Strategic Partnerships Between Higher
  Education and Business
• e.g. Work with business to establish learning
  goals and make resources available to employees

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CAELs Recommendations for Institutional Change
(cont.)

• Assess the knowledge, skills competencies of
  adult learners and assign credit
• e.g. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) for learning
  from life/work experiences
• Help adult learners overcome barriers in time,
  place, and tradition
• e.g. accelerated programs, worksite programs

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CAELs Recommendations for Institutional Change
(cont.)

• Make use of technology to provide relevant and
  timely learning experiences
• e.g. Online courses and degree programs

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For More Information

• Susan Kelly PhD FAPS
• Acting Vice President
• Higher Education and Business Partnerships
• CAEL
• 55 E. Monroe St., Suite 1930
• Chicago, IL 60603
• [phone]
• skelly_at_cael.org
• www.cael.org