Prior Learning Assessment and the Community College

Higher Education Conference on Enrollment Management

February 23, 2011Judith Wertheim

                        

CAEL

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning

CAEL works to remove the barriers to adults so that they can pursue higher education and realize their potential.

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Some Barriers to Adult Participation

Affordability

Accessibility

Aspiration

3

Removing the Barriers

Prior

Learning

Assessment

Can Help

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How Can PLA Help?

What Is PLA?The evaluation for college credit of the knowledge and skills one gains from life

experiences (or from non-college instructional programs) including:

employmenttravel

hobbiescivic activities

volunteer servicemilitary service

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How Can PLA Help?

PLA Methods• Standardized exams

Advanced Placement (AP) College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Excelsior College Exams DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)

• Evaluation of non-college training (e.g. corporate or military)

• Challenge exams• Individual student portfolios

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How Can PLA Help?

CAEL Study of PLA and Student Outcomes

• 48-institution study of PLA and academic outcomes, funded by Lumina Foundation for Education (Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success)

• 62,475 total adult students in our sample (adult = age 25 or older)

• Increased Graduation Rates, Greater Persistence, and Shorter Time to Degree

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How Can PLA Help?

In our knowledge-based economy, education has become a critical link to economic security.

A postsecondary degree or credential is now an essential qualification for jobs that offer good wages.

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PLA Students by Level of Institution

4%

30%

96%

70%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

At least 2 but lessthan 4

Four or more years

Did not earn PLA credit

Earned PLA Credit

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Graduation Rate by Institution Level

13%

53%

24%

55%

87%

47%

76%

45%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Two YearInstitution: Didnot earn PLA

credit(n=12,117)

Two YearInstitution:

Earned PLAcredit (n=524)

Four YearInstitution: Didnot earn PLA

credit(n=34,764)

Four YearInstitution:

Earned PLAcredit

(n=15,070)

Did not earn apostsecondarydegreeEarned apostsecondarydegree

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What we now can say

Evidence shows that PLA students, on average, have higher rates of degree earning than do non-PLA students.

This is true at institutions of all sizes, levels and controls.

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Students Taking Remedial Courses

12%

38%

8%14%

5%

20%

17%

41%

81%

39%

74%

46%

1%

2%

1%

0%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Took RemedialCourses, Non-

PLA Student(n=4,860)

Took RemedialCourses, PLA

Student(n=299)

Did Not TakeRemedial

Courses, Non-PLA Student(n=24,603)

Did Not TakeRemedial

Courses, PLAStudent

(n=11,266)

No Degree

Other

Bachelor's Degree

Associate's Degree

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Summary – Graduation Rates

PLA students in this study had better graduation rates than non-PLA students:• regardless of institutional size, level (two-year or four-

year) or control (private for-profit, non-profit, or public)• regardless of the individual student’s academic ability

or grade point average• regardless of the individual student’s age, gender, or

race/ethnicity• regardless of whether or not the individual student

receives financial aid

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Credit Accumulation, No Degree Earners

28%

12%

16%13%

9%

22%

1% 2%

7%

16%18%

56%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Earned few erthan 10% ofcredits for

degree

Earned 10-19% of credits

needed

Earned 20-39% of credits

needed

Earned 40-59% of credits

needed

Earned 60-79% of credits

needed

Earned 80% ormore of credits

needed

Did not earn PLA credit(n=23,101)

Did earn PLA credit(n=1,800)

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Persistence – Number of Credit-Earning Years

60%

19%

9%

6%3% 3%

37%

23%

14%11%

7% 8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

1 2 3 4 5 6

Number of Years in Which Credit Was Earned (May Be Non-Consecutive)

Did not earn PLA credit(n=34,056)

Did earn PLA credit(n=2,625)

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Time to Associate’s Degree

44.6

47.4

45.4

40.1

42.9

36.0

38.0

40.0

42.0

44.0

46.0

48.0

No PLA Credit(n=1,906)

1-6 PLA credits(n=230)

7-12 PLA credits(n=176)

13-24 PLA credits(n=78)

25-36 PLA credits(n=55)

Mon

ths

to A

ssoc

iate

's D

egre

e

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Summary – Time to Degree

PLA earners with associate’s degrees saved an average of between 1.5 and 4.5 months of time in earning their degrees, compared to non-PLA students earning associate’s degrees.

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Spring, 2010

Additional study of PLA in community colleges

88 respondents to survey; additional telephone interviews with 15

Respondents represent 20 different states, Oklahoma among them

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Summary of Findings

Community colleges are largely familiar with PLA

64% offer portfolio assessments 90% accept CLEP exam credit 93% accept AP exam credit 85% offer challenge exams 82% use the ACE Guides to award credit to

students with military transcripts

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Summary of Findings

BUT PLA not used by students in community colleges:

Inconsistent acceptance by departments

Not advocated by faculty and advisors

Not broad enough to meet students’ needs

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Summary of Findings

Sample question: Do you have younger adults who come to your institution with some technical training that they have learned on the job?

I don’t know 7%

No 2%

Yes, probably 39%

Yes, definitely 52%

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Summary of Findings

Sample questions: If you could evaluate this prior learning from technical training and tie it to courses, could there be greater use of PLA at your institution?

I don’t know 9%

No, probably not 7%

My institution already does this 38%

Yes, definitely 14%

Yes, possibly 32%

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Additional Strategies for Success

Helping Adult Learners Succeed: Tools for Two-Year Colleges

Ruth Frey

www.cael.org.

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Additional Strategies for Success

New and expanded course delivery options such as Saturday course offerings, Sunday

course offerings, a “Friday night” degree program, an accelerated degree program

Online courses; hybrid courses Redesign of a website for adult learners,

which is also used as an internal resource for faculty and staff

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Additional Strategies for Success

Redesigned orientation sessions, making them more effective and efficient

Development of a non-credit program targeting adults to assist them in transitioning to college

Help potential students to connect with people at the college and prepare them for

placement exams25

Additional Strategies for Success

Creation of a student mentor or advisor program to help new students negotiate college processes and procedures

Hiring an “advising and retention” coordinator at a college’s Learning Development Center

Mandatory advising training for faculty (full-time and part-time) and the development of

online tools to help keep them up- to-date on advising issues

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Additional Strategies for Success

Formation of an “Adult Learner” committee to work on issues related to this important demographic

Articulation agreements with local four-year colleges in order to position the community college as the “preferred provider” for employees of corporations in the area

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Additional Strategies for Success

Well-informed advisors to assist students in

choosing courses that ft their schedules and count toward their academic program. (Adult students have little patience for courses that do not help them progress toward their degree.)

Advising to provide information necessary to move through a program of study and provide the foundation for transfer to a four-year institution

.

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The ALFI Principles

Outreach Life/Career Planning Financing Assessment of Learning Outcomes Teaching/Learning Process Student Support Systems Technology Strategic Partnerships Transitions

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Questions?

Judy Wertheim

jwertheim@cael.org

312.499.2659

www.cael.org

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