With a Map and a Mentor: Charting Pathways to

College Completion

Mary Beth Lakin, Associate Director

Center for Lifelong Learning

Session Agenda

• Overview of ACE Programs & Services

• Adult Learner Populations: Postsecondary Focus

– Military Veterans

– GED test-takers & graduates

– Learners aged 50 & older

• Initiatives & Programs: Emerging Practices

ACE: Overview

Founded in 1918, the American Council on Education (ACE), is the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600

college and university presidents, and more than 200 related associations, nationwide.

It provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through

advocacy.

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ACE’s Military Evaluation Program

• MEP provides institutions with basis for recognizing military educational experiences in terms of civilian academic credit.

• Since the early 1940s, MEP has reviewed & made credit recommendations for thousands of college-level courses offered by the military services.

• In 1974 MEP began evaluation of military occupational specialties.

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About Military Evaluations

2010 Fiscal Year

• 42 installation visits

• 1,900 courses

• 105 occupations

• 95 teaching faculty members

• 3,700 semester hours in the lower division

• 1,700 semester hours in the upper division

• 125 semester hours in the graduate division

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Faculty Evaluators

• Types of institutions• Approximately 7,000 faculty on military teams

(since 1954)

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University51%

4-Year College27%

Community College

19%

Practitioner or Other

3%

General Review Process

• Conduct pre-meetings with points of contacts

• Travel to training locations

• Review materials & conduct interviews

• Document evaluation & write descriptions

• Complete final reports

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CREDIT Review Processhttp://www.acenet.edu/credit/reviewprocess

Military Occupation Evaluation

• Occupation is job designation by military service.

• Review & assessment are more experiential.

• Teams validate demonstrated & expected job knowledge, skills, abilities by pay grade.

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Military Programs: Resource Tools for Colleges and Universitieshttp://www.acenet.edu/militaryprograms/resourcetools

ACE College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT)

began in mid-1970s.

Review process for participating organizations uses standards and procedures established through

Military Evaluation Program.

Corporations

Government

Foreign Service InstituteFederal Bureau of PrisonsImmigration and Naturalization ServiceU.S. Marshals Service

www.acenet.edu/nationalguide

ACE Transcript Services

ACE CREDIT Registry and Transcript Systemhttp://www.acenet.edu/transcripts

ACE CREDIT College & University Network

• Recognition of ACE Credit Recommendations

• Support from Lifelong Learning Resource Center

• Identification of Internal Strategies

• Development of Employer Partnerships

• Creation of Maps to Credentials

• Website Profiles

http://www.acenet.edu/credit/network

Landscape for Military Veterans

• Low postsecondary participation & high unemployment, especially for young veterans

• Gaps in awareness about education benefits & options

• Lack of experience in translating military skills & knowledge: Veterans, colleges, & employers

Landscape for Military Veterans

• ACE/Wal-Mart:

Success for Veterans Award Grants

• Maps to Credentials:

Creating an Integrated Prior Learning Assessment

Model to Accelerate Postsecondary Attainment

• Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD):

Troops to Energy

Mapping PLA Credits to Credentials

Emerging Practices

Emerging Practices: Maps

• Guide learner to degree completion.

• Chart prior learning credits to specific courses.

• Include all aspects of degree requirements.

• Provide assessment options for new learning.

• Adapt for programs & populations.

Example: Minnesota State Colleges & Universities SystemVeterans’ Course Mappings: http://www.students.mnscu.edu/military/vets/identifyMilitaryExp.php

Emerging Practices

• Targeted outreach• Accelerated format• Prior learning applications• Bridge/transition courses• Certificates as building

blocks

• Industry competency framework

• Career counseling & mentoring

• Comprehensive & continuous employer engagement

Career Pathways Model

Example: CEWD Troops to Energy

Emerging Practices

• Life Planning• Identified Points of Contact• Gathering Places• Community Resources • Venues for Leadership

Example: Lane Community College Lane’s Integration of Veterans in Education (LIVE)

Transitions: Integrated, Holistic Approach

Emerging PracticesToolkits for Success

• Promising practices on college campuses• Financing education & using education benefits• Earning college credits for military training • Navigating path to college• Transitioning to employment & training• Supporting veterans’ families • Meeting physical & psychological health challenges

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Example: Veteran Success Jamwww.acenet.edu/links/military/ensuring_success

Landscape for GED Graduates

• Nearly 40 million U.S. adults 16 & older lack high school

diploma or GED credential.

• Since 1942, more than 17 million adults passed GED Test.

• 65% give education as reason to take GED test; 43% enroll.

• GED graduates may not enroll immediately or maintain steady

enrollment.

• GED graduates are more likely to enroll in 2-year (or shorter)

programs in high-demand fields such as nursing.

Crossing the Bridge: Year 1 Report. ACE, 2011.

Landscape for GED Graduates

• GED graduates’ postsecondary enrollment

(PSE) varies by age, gender, & ethnicity.

• 83% enroll close to home.

• GED credential is potential PSE gateway,

especially for non-white learners.

• Age, parental status, full-time employment, & self-expectations

risk factors for adults with GED credential.

Crossing the Bridge: Year 2 Report. ACE, 2011.

GED 21st Century Initiative

• New, more rigorous GED test that aligns with common core state standards & ensures college & career readiness

• National preparation program that expands learning

resources

• Transition network that connects GED test-takers

with education & career options

Emerging Practices

GED preparation, basic adult skills, pre-apprenticeship bridge programs, & English language proficiency through specific career-tailored curriculum

Vocational certificates, guaranteed interview with local employer, or entry into a postsecondary vocational program

College credits (developmental education credits or dual enrollment status)

Contextualized Learning in a Career Field

Example: Virginia PlugGED In

Emerging Practices

Proactive advisory services

Orientation programs:

College Student for a Day, college

discovery activities, college survival skills,

or First Year Academy

Postsecondary or Career Transition Services

Example: Community College of Denver’s College Connection

Emerging Practices

Monitors class attendance & performance

Makes interventions

Provides social services referrals

Liaises with teachers

Case Management System or Coaching

Example: Central Piedmont Community College’s Pathways to Employment

Emerging Practices

Provides experience of work & community service with tangible results

Supports participants in taking key roles in activities & developing leadership skills

Connects work, service, & leadership with education & learning

Example: YouthBuild

Structure to Develop Sense of Self & Community

Landscape for Learners aged 50+

• Living longer• Working longer• Losing work at record-setting pace• Fastest-growing segment of workforce• Increased postsecondary participation:

More than double in little more than decade

Landscape for Learners Aged 50+

• Department of Labor:

Aging Worker Initiative

• Plus 50 Community Colleges

• 21st Century Pathfinders:

Older Learners in University Settings

Emerging Practices

• Recognition of learning drivers

• Multiple environments for learning

• Teaching/learning formats

• Community connections

• Career/education navigation

Emerging Practices: Examples

• Café Plus Concepthttp://www.matherlifeways.com/iyc_cafereplication.asp

• OLLI NSF InitiativeScience Education Center for the Third Age http://usm.maine.edu/olli/national/NSF_Projects/nsf_index.html

• Project SHINE at Temple University http://www.projectshine.org/philly

The maps they gave us were out of date by years.

--Adrienne Rich

Creating New Maps

What are we learning from emerging practices with military veterans, GED graduates, &

learners aged 50+?

What could we successfully adapt & sustain across learner populations?

What is missing from our practices & approaches? Where do we go next?

Contact Information

Mary Beth Lakin

mlakin@acenet.edu

202.939.9704