“are you experienced?”
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“Are you experienced?”. Translating Experiential Learning into Credit for Non-Traditional Students Amy Sherman The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). Why Does College Completion Matter to Our Nation?. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
““Are you experienced?”Are you experienced?”
Translating Experiential Learning into Credit for
Non-Traditional Students
Amy ShermanThe Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
(CAEL)
1
Why Does College Why Does College Completion Matter to Our Completion Matter to Our Nation?Nation?
U.S. position as a world leader in education has slipped in recent years, from 4th place in 1997 to 11th place in 2009
By 2018, 62% of jobs will require some college or above
But only 40% of adults 25-34 have attained a post secondary degree
2
Source: Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018, Georgetown University, Center for Education and the Workforce, June 2010
What about existing skills?
Most of the people you are serving are not fresh out of high school.
What have they been doing? Working in various jobs Serving in the military Serving their communities Pursuing personal interests
3
Prior Learning Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Can Assessment (PLA) Can
HelpHelp
4
PLA Basics
5
What is PLA?What is PLA?
The evaluation for college credit of the knowledge and skills one gains from:
• employment• military service• non-credit instruction/training• travel• hobbies• civic activities• volunteer service
6
PLA MethodsPLA Methods
Standardized exams• Advanced Placement (AP)• College Level Examination Program (CLEP)• Excelsior College Exams• DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)
Challenge exams Individual student portfolios Evaluation of non-college training
corporate or military training
Evaluation of non-credit instruction
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HistoryHistoryTwo important educational
developments:▷ Regional accrediting agencies emerge;
define what is “college level learning”▷ Rise of standardized testing; now learning
can be evaluated independently of the source of learning
Result: acceptance of the idea that creditable college-level learning is both measurable and independent of its source.
8
HistoryHistory
CAEL founded in 1974 as a project of the Educational Testing Service
▷Question: is it possible to conduct valid and reliable assessment of learning gained from work or life experience?
▷Answer: Yes, with appropriate procedures and processes in place to evaluate that learning.
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Standards to Ensure QualityStandards to Ensure Quality
The 10 CAEL Standards for
Assessing Learning ensure quality
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5 ACADEMIC 5 ACADEMIC STANDARDSSTANDARDS1. Credit or its equivalent should be awarded only for learning, and not for experience.2. Assessment should be based on standards and criteria for the level of acceptable learning that are both agreed upon and made public. 3. Assessment should be treated as an integral part of learning, not separate from it, and should be based on an understanding of learning processes. 4. The determination of credit awards and competence levels must be made by appropriate subject matter and academic or credentialing experts.5. Credit or other credentialing should be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded and accepted.
5 ADMINISTRATIVE 5 ADMINISTRATIVE STANDARDSSTANDARDS
6. If awards are for credit, transcript entries should clearly describe what learning is being recognized and should be monitored to avoid giving credit twice for the same learning.7. Policies, procedures, and criteria applied to assessment, including provision for appeal, should be fully disclosed and prominently available to all parties involved in the assessment process.8. Fees charged for assessment should be based on the services performed in the process and not determined by the amount of credit awarded.9.All personnel involved in the assessment of learning should pursue and receive adequate training and continuing professional development for the functions they perform.10. Assessment programs should be regularly monitored, reviewed, evaluated, and revised as needed to reflect changes in the needs being served, the purposes being met, and the state of the assessment arts.
Training for faculty Training for faculty assessorsassessors
▷ Understand principles of experiential learning, including its value for adults.
▷ Understand and apply the steps and procedures in the PLA process.
▷ Understand the links between experience and learning, and be able to determine college-level learning gained from experience.
▷ Discriminate between college-level and pre-college-level learning.
▷ Understand the history and development of PLA. ▷ Know and be able to apply principles of best PLA
practice ▷ Apply administrative principles of PLA within the
context of your institution. ▷ Able to express to various audiences the value of
PLA.13
Value of PLA
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CAEL’s PLA StudyCAEL’s PLA Study
What we wanted to know:
▷Do adults who earn PLA credit have better graduation rates, compared with those who do not earn PLA credit?
▷Do they have better persistence?▷Do they earn their degrees in a
shorter period of time?
CAEL’s PLA Study
• 48-institution study of PLA and academic outcomes (funded by Lumina Foundation for Education)
• 62,475 total adult students in our sample (adult = age 25 or older)
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The 48 InstitutionsThe 48 Institutions
▷41 four-year, 7 two-year▷22 public, 24 private not-for-profit, 2
private for-profit▷Range in size from under 1,000
students to more than 20,000▷From all regions in the US, with
heaviest representation from Mid East, Great Lakes, Plains and Southeast
▷46 US institutions, 2 Canadian
What PLA Options What PLA Options Counted?Counted?
▷standardized exams (e.g., CLEP, DSST, AP, Excelsior)
▷externally-evaluated training program (e.g., ACE)
▷institutional challenge exams▷portfolio assessment ▷And “other”
The DataThe Data
▷Student record data on 2001-2002 adult cohort
▷Information on PLA policies and practices, reasons for offering PLA, etc.
▷IPEDS institutional data
The PLA ProgramsThe PLA Programs
▷66% of the institutions had offered some form of PLA since before 1980
▷64% offered five or more PLA methods
▷94% offered standardized exams, 88% offered portfolio assessment
Top Reasons for Offering PLATop Reasons for Offering PLA
▷ Provide a time-saving avenue for degree completion, 92%
▷ Fulfill mission to serve adult learners, 92%
▷ Encourage greater student persistence towards a degree, 90%
▷ Recognize value of learning that happens outside of the classroom, 88%
▷ Provide cost-effective avenue for degree completion, 85%
▷ Remove barriers to education, 83%▷ Offer way for students to avoid
redundant class work, 73%
The StudentsThe Students
▷62,475 total adult students in our sample (adult = age 25 or older)
▷15,594 (25%) had earned PLA credit between 2001 and 2008
PLA Students by Size of PLA Students by Size of InstitutionInstitution
28% 33% 36%
17% 23%
72% 67% 64%
83% 77%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Under 1,000 1,000-4,999 5,000-9,999 10,000-19,999 20,000 or more
Earned PLA Credit Did not earn PLA credit
23
PLA Students by Control of PLA Students by Control of InstitutionInstitution
12%
46%
17%
88%
54%
83%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Private for profit Private not-for-profit
Public
Earned PLA Credit Did not earn PLA credit
24
PLA and Student PLA and Student DemographicsDemographics
▷ Higher percent of male (29%) than female students (22%) earn PLA credit
▷ Higher percent of white, non-Hispanic (33%) and Asian (40%), compared to black, non-Hispanic (24%) or Hispanic (15%)
▷ Slightly higher rate of PLA earning among those aged 35-54, compared to younger and older groups
25
PLA and Student PLA and Student OutcomesOutcomes
▷Graduation rates▷Persistence▷Time to degree
26
Graduation Rates
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Graduation Rates of PLA Graduation Rates of PLA StudentsStudents
6%13%
15%
43%
78%
44%
1%
0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Did not earn PLA credit(n=46,881)
Earned PLA credit(n=15,594)
Did not earn degree orcredential
Other
Earned Bachelor'sDegree
Earned Associate'sDegree
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Graduation Rate by Institution Graduation Rate by Institution Level 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 sayWhat 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 Students Taking Remedial CoursesCourses
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Analysis by Grade Point AveragesAnalysis by Grade Point Averages
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Persistence
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Ways We Measured Ways We Measured PersistencePersistence
▷ Credit accumulation towards an associate’s or bachelor’s degree
▷ Number of years in which the student earned credit between 2001-2002 and 2007-2008
35
Credit Accumulation, No Degree Credit Accumulation, No Degree EarnersEarners
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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Total Credits Earned at Total Credits Earned at InstitutionInstitution
a.k.a.: how institutions benefit from PLA a.k.a.: how institutions benefit from PLA studentsstudents
Average for All PLA Students
53.7 credits
Average for All Non-PLA Students
43.8 credits
37
Time to Degree
38
Time to Bachelor’s Time to Bachelor’s DegreeDegree
39.7
36.134.5
35.8
29.6
33.1
37.2
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
No PLACredit
(n=5,342)
1-6 PLAcredits(n=860)
7-12 PLAcredits(n=782)
13-24 PLAcredits
(n=1,170)
25-36 PLAcredits(n=668)
37-48 PLAcredits(n=161)
49 or morePLA credits
(n=219)
Mo
nth
s t
o B
ac
he
lor'
s D
eg
ree
39
Time to Associate’s Time to Associate’s DegreeDegree
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
40
Institutional Policies on Institutional Policies on PLAPLA
▷ PLA credit can be used to obtain advanced standing at the institution
▷ PLA credit can be used to waive course prerequisites
▷ PLA credit can be used to meet general education requirements
▷ PLA credit can be used to meet program/major requirements
41
Do Institutional Policies Do Institutional Policies Matter?Matter?
The greater the flexibility the student has for using the PLA credit, the better the academic outcomes.
42
Additional findings: Additional findings: student demographicsstudent demographics
▷Gender▷Age▷Race/ethnicity▷Financial aid recipients
Summary – Graduation Summary – Graduation RatesRatesPLA 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
44
Summary - PersistenceSummary - Persistence
PLA students have higher rates of persistence compared with non-PLA students.▷In terms of credit accumulation/progress towards the degree▷In terms of number of years of credit-earning
45
Summary – Time to Summary – Time to DegreeDegree
▷ PLA students earned bachelor’s degrees in a shorter periods of time compared with non-PLA students – a difference of between 2.5 and 10.1 months, depending upon the number of PLA credits earned.
▷ 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.
46
Want to read the report?Want to read the report?
Our published report on this study was released in March 2010.
Executive summary:www.cael.org/pdf/PLA_Executive-Summary.pdf
Full report:www.cael.org/pdf/PLA_Fueling-the-Race.pdf
The Need to Scale Up The Need to Scale Up PLA OfferingsPLA Offerings
48
Community College Survey
▷ Spring 2010 CAEL study of community colleges shows a need for PLA.
• 88 respondents from two-year institutions
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Community College PLA Survey
▷ Sample Question: Do you have younger adults who come to your institution with some technical training that they have learned on the job?
50
Community College PLA Survey
▷ Sample question: 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?
51
Community College PLA Survey
▷ Sample question: Do you think your institution will see increased demand for PLA options in the future?
I don’t know16%
No12%
Yes, possibly44%
Yes, definitely
28%
52
Adults Care About PLA
▷ A College Board study of 1500 adults rated “credit for prior learning policy” as more important than “small class size” or “availability of financial aid.”
▷ A KY telephone survey indicated that the opportunity to earn credit for prior learning is one of 3 motivators for adults with some college but no degree.
53
Need to scale up PLANeed to scale up PLA
▷ Only 66% of higher education institutions offer portfolio method; most serve very few students annually
▷ Research indicates a need at institutions for more PLA, but a lack of capacity and resources• Specialized training for assessors,
advisors, administrators• Time intensive program• Salaries, space, training, marketing
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Scaling Up the Use of PLA Scaling Up the Use of PLA Through Through LearningCounts.org LearningCounts.org A new national online PLA
Center
• Developed with a planning grant from Lumina Foundation for Education
• ACE and College Board partnering on project
• CAEL will draw upon faculty experts nationwide for teaching portfolio development course and reviewing adult students’ portfolios
56
The Pilot PhaseThe Pilot Phase
With funding from Lumina Foundation for Education, the Kresge Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, and the Walmart Foundation,CAEL has begun the two-year pilot phase of LearningCounts.org.
57
▷Uses on-line platform
▷Helps students earn all forms of PLA credit
▷Offers basic on-line advising
▷Offers an on-line PLA course
▷Assigns portfolios to faculty evaluators who have been trained by CAEL
CAEL’s LearnCounts.orgCAEL’s LearnCounts.org
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CAEL’s CAEL’s LearningCounts.orgLearningCounts.org
▷ Credit recommendations from the Center’s faculty experts will be sent on ACE transcript to colleges, as ACE already does today with military and corporate training
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Whom Will It Serve?Whom Will It Serve?
▷ Individuals already enrolled in community colleges or four-year institutions
• Provide support for postsecondary institutions that have no existing PLA programs
• Augment existing PLA programs at some postsecondary institutions
60
Whom Will It Serve?Whom Will It Serve?
▷ Unaffiliated individuals not yet in college or those who have started but never finished college• Active duty military and veterans
• Workers in transition or lower-income workers
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Whom Will It Serve?Whom Will It Serve?
▷ Employers and industry groups
• To pursue the further credentialing of their employees
• To document learning that has already been completed and identify skills gaps
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Why Colleges Are InterestedWhy Colleges Are Interested▷ Lack of a PLA program at their institution
▷ Existing program cannot keep up with high volume of portfolio submissions
▷ Lack of personnel to adequately staff their PLA program
▷ Lack of credentialed faculty to review submitted portfolios in certain fields
▷ Interest in streamlining their process through increased capacity and speed
▷ Reliance on CAEL’s Center as an interim resource while the institution prepares to launch or expand its own PLA program on campus
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LEARNINGCOUNTS.org LEARNINGCOUNTS.org Fact SheetFact Sheet
Website launched Dec. 3, 2010 Website Phase 2, launched January 24,
2011 First online class began January 24,
2011 Over 450 faculty want to work for
LearningCounts.org Recommendations for credit accepted
by network of accredited colleges.
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Sample Pilot InstitutionsSample Pilot Institutions
▷ Over 80 colleges and universities serving as LearningCounts.org pilot institutions
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LINKS TO WORKFORCE SYSTEM & LINKS TO WORKFORCE SYSTEM & POLICY CHANGEPOLICY CHANGE
Support from Joyce Foundation to work with two states on:▷establishing new regulatory language specifying that Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) could be used to cover the cost of portfolio courses,▷identifying WIA-funded training programs that could be evaluated for academic credit.
Target States: Indiana and Washington
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Examples of Policy Change Examples of Policy Change We’d Like to SeeWe’d Like to See
PLA in State WIA Plan State or local policy letter from State
WIB/Governor to agencies/contractors/providers verifying ITA usage for PLA
General Policy letter in support of PLA PLA Assessment classified as a core and
intensive service Create and launch a PLA pilot for public training
course, focused on a particular credential/subject
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Questions for DiscussionQuestions for Discussion
What are your priorities as you advance PLA in the state?
What are the opportunities and challenges?
How can CAEL help?
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