Ever Upward Streamlined Pathways to Completion Presented By
Ever Upward: Streamlined Pathways to Completion Presented By: Joshua Shaffer Academic Partnership Manager
Agenda • Overview • Current State • Concurrent Enrollment • 90+30 • Prior Learning Assessment • Q+A www. excelsior. edu 2
Excelsior College • Founded in 1971 • Regionally accredited • Private • Not-for-profit • Online • Geared towards the adult learner www. excelsior. edu 3
What you know is more important than where or how you learned it. ® www. excelsior. edu 4
Please Set Up Live Polling 1. Create a text message to the number 37607 2. Text JOSHUASHAFFE 876 to the above number www. excelsior. edu 5
Current State Why streamlined pathways are important www. excelsior. edu 6
CC Student Population • 80% intend to earn a bachelor’s degree • 25% transfer to a 4 -year institution o 62% earn a bachelor’s degree • 16% of all CC students earn a bachelor’s degree • Horn & Skomsvold (2011); Hossler et al. (2012); Shapiro et al. (2013) • Handel & Williams (2012) • CRCC (2015) www. excelsior. edu 7
Baccalaureate Attainment Gap • Native 4 -year student success o 59% graduation rate o 52 months to completion • CC transfer student success o 16% graduation rate o 63 months to completion • U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2011) • Horn & Skomsvold (2011); Hossler et al. (2012); Shapiro et al. (2013) • CRCC (2015) www. excelsior. edu 8
Barriers to Completion • Loss of transfer credits • Lack of transparency in transfer • Limited access • Lack of transitional support • Lack of assimilation into the baccalaureate environment • Increased barriers for first generation and under represented populations • AACC, 2012; Lannan, 2007; Gardner, as cited in Schreiner & Pattengale, 2000; Graunke & Woosley, 2005 www. excelsior. edu 9
Transfer Credit Challenge • Less than 60% of CC Students could transfer most of their credits • 15% transferred almost no credits • 2. 5 times more likely to earn a BA if students transferred almost all, vs. less than half of their credits • Monaghan & Attewell (2014) • CRCC (2015) www. excelsior. edu 11
Concurrent Enrollment www. excelsior. edu 12
Concurrent Enrollment: What is it? • Academic progression model • Collaboration between CC and transfer partner • Simultaneously working towards both degrees Associate Degree www. excelsior. edu Bachelor’s Degree 13
Concurrent Enrollment: An Example Streamlined pathway where: • Students need as few as 22 cr. hrs. or 1 year to complete BS after Associate degree • Concurrently enrolled at 2 -year and 4 -year school • Guaranteed credit • Financial Aid Consortium recommended www. excelsior. edu 15
Concurrent Enrollment: Benefits • Commitment to education • Academic progression • Flexible online delivery • Reduced student costs • Shortened pathway to bachelor’s degree • Proven successful - Arizona o 13 CC’s participating o More than 50% of Maricopa www. excelsior. edu nursing students participate 16
90 + 30 www. excelsior. edu 17
90 + 30 (3+1): What is it? • 3 rd year of BA/BS completed at CC • Upper Level coursework completed at 4 -year school • Potential for concurrent enrollment • Financial Aid Consortium recommended www. excelsior. edu 18
90 + 30: An Example - Excelsior • Associate degree completion required • Reduced cost – 20% reduction on tuition • Complete a bachelor’s in 1 year to 18 months • Tentative transcript evaluations prior to application • Community College Win-Back campaign • Financial Aid Consortium established www. excelsior. edu 21
90 + 30: Benefits • Minimizes cost • Guaranteed admission • Shortened pathway to bachelor’s degree • Increases transfer transparency • Removes administrative barriers • Increased graduation and persistence rate • Welcoming environment for transfer students www. excelsior. edu 22
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) www. excelsior. edu 23
PLA: What is It? • Evaluation of non-collegiate training/instruction for college credit • Examples o Portfolio Assessment o Credit by Exam o Workplace Training o Licenses/Certifications o Military Credit www. excelsior. edu 24
PLA: Portfolio Assessment (CAEL) www. excelsior. edu 26
PLA: Credit by Exam • Advanced Placement (AP) Examination Program • College Level Examination Program (CLEP) • UExcel and Excelsior College Exams • The DANTES Subject Standard Tests, or DSST Exams www. excelsior. edu 27
PLA: Workplace and Educational Training • Excelsior’s CAPITAL (Center for Assessment of Post. Traditional Instruction, Training, and Learning) o Evaluates workplace training programs for credit o Examples § Pizza Hut – 63 credits § Taco Bell – 44 credits § Mc. Donalds – 23 credits • American Council on Education (ACE) • BOCES of New York www. excelsior. edu 28
PLA: Licenses/Certifications • Technology o CISCO o Comp. TIA o Microsoft, • Healthcare etc. o RN o Licensed Radiologic Technologist o Massage Therapy, etc. www. excelsior. edu 29
PLA: Military Credit • Joint Services Transcript (JST) – ACE recommended • • • www. excelsior. edu coursework CCAF Defense Language Institute (DLI) Evaluations by other schools Faculty evaluation of military training programs Expert military advisors (Center for Military and Veteran Education) 30
Challenges to PLA • No PLA policy at their institution • Lack of awareness of existing PLA policy o Advising o Admissions o Faculty • Policy that limits acceptance o Skepticism o Seat time definition of learning or credit o Generalized limits of transfer credit www. excelsior. edu 31
PLA: Benefits • Adults who earn credit for prior learning are 2. 5 x more likely to enroll, persist, and complete a degree program. • This is true regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, academic ability, and financial aid status. CAEL www. excelsior. edu 32
Set a Policy Keep in mind that your goal is to make it easier for your students to complete without sacrificing the integrity of your institution. 33
Summary www. excelsior. edu 34
Questions? www. excelsior. edu 35
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