COLLEGE ACCESS CHALLENGE GRANT DATA AND PROGRAM ASSESSMENT:

ADULT LEARNING CONSORTIUM PROJECT

REBECCA JEAN-BAPTISTE GRANTS RESEARCH DIRECTOR

UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA WINTER INSTITUTE 2013

CACG GOALS

“The Goals of Georgia’s College Access Plan are to increase postsecondary degree attainment of P-12 students underrepresented in postsecondary education in Georgia and to increase degree attainment of the state’s low-income adults with some college credit but no degree.”

CACG OBJECTIVES

1) To increase the number of underrepresented students who graduate from Georgia high schools ready, supported, and motivated to go into postsecondary education (IGP, GACollege411, Counselors PD, Financial Aid, Community Engagement, PAC)

2) To increase the number of underrepresented high school graduates enrolled and persisting in postsecondary education (GAC, Duel Enrollment Grants, GATRACS, Near Peer, and Career Centers), and

3) To increase the college degree attainment of low-income adults who have some college credits but have not attained a degree (ALC, Military, GATRACS, PAC).

APPROVED CACG ACTIVITIES

(A) Information for students and families

(B) Information on financing options for postsecondary education and activities that promote financial literacy and debt management among students and families. (C) Outreach activities for students who may be at risk of not enrolling in or completing postsecondary education. (D) Assistance in completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or other common financial reporting form under section 483(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

APPROVED CACG ACTIVITIES (CONT’D)

(E) Need-based grant aid for students. (F) Professional development for guidance counselors at middle schools and secondary schools, and financial aid administrators and college admissions counselors at institutions of higher education, to improve such individuals’ capacity to assist students and parents with— (G) Student loan cancellation or repayment (as applicable), or interest rate reductions, for borrowers who are employed in a high-need geographical area or a high need profession in the State, as determined by the State.

ADULT LEARNING CONSORTIUM MEMBERS:

2009 Members

2010 Members

2011 Members

ALC’S WORKING PRINCIPLES AND AGREEMENTS (1 OF 3)

As a point of access for adult students, each ALC institution will establish an Adult Learning Committee. The ALC adheres to the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Ten Standards for Assessing Learning. All regional accrediting bodies support these principles. The ALC works from the principle that nationally recognized, standardized PLA options, such as CLEP, and institutionally recognized challenge exams will be inventoried and thoroughly considered before institutions develop individualized assessments such as portfolio option. ALC institutions agree to accept assessed and transcripted courses from other consortium members. Each Consortium institution not currently a member of the Service members Opportunity Colleges (SOC) will seriously consider becoming a member. Each institution will identify a gateway mechanism for PLA options, e.g. PLA 2000 course, workshop, advisement center. 

ALC’S WORKING PRINCIPLES AND AGREEMENTS (2 OF 3) ALC institutions accept the following recommendations of the Fees, Financial Aid, and Sustainability

Subcommittee, in order to create a viable funding mechanism for PLA portfolio options: 1) each institution will designate a gatekeeper/coordinator to facilitate the PLA program and will develop an appeals process for portfolio submissions that fail to meet the required standards; 2) a PLA course with a common course description and course outcomes will be implemented on campuses which choose to offer such a course. The PLA course will be a credit course which counts toward graduation and can thus be covered by financial aid. The course will be a pre-or co-requisite for portfolio submissions. The Consortium will offer at least one on-line course; 3) the revenue source for subsequent PLA portfolio submissions will be a special assessment with tiered pricing based on the number of credit hours of the course for which the student is requesting credit. This special assessment may be covered by financial aid indirectly with the student’s authorization; the funding allocation will be to charge the full special assessment upfront and distribute the income based on the following suggested percentages: administrative costs (10%), cost of a shared online advisor (10%), and extra compensation to faculty assessors (80%). The amount recommended is $250 ($25 administrative cost; $25 for online advisor; $200 to faculty member for assessment services); and 4) successful portfolios will be transcripted as K credit and the portfolio submission process will follow steps outlined by the FFS Subcommittee.

ALC’S WORKING PRINCIPLES AND AGREEMENTS (3 OF 3) ALC institutions will:

1) accept all available CLEP tests for all 20 years for which test scores are available from the College Board;

2) uniformly use the American Council on Education’s recommended passing score for all CLEP tests; and

3) when any ALC member institution transcripts credit for that’s institution’s course matched to a CLEP test and a student transfers to another ALC member institution, the institution to which the student transfers will not require an additional/original score report (avoids additional fee for the student).

 

OUR TARGET POPULATION: ADULT LEARNER

Who is an Adult Learner? •  Undergraduate student •  25 years of age or older

ALC DATA COLLECTION

Quarterly Reports

Consortium Activities Bi-Annual Reports •  December (report on Summer & Fall data) •  June (report on Spring data)

QUARTERLY REPORTS

Centered around the 4 major areas: §  ALFI §  PLA §  Program Focus §  Project Integration

ALFI

Based on CAEL’s Principles of Effectiveness for Serving Adult Learners

1.  Outreach

2.   Life & Career Planning 3.   Financing 4.   Assessment of Learning Outcomes 5.   Teaching-Learning Process

6.   Student Support Systems 7.  Technology 8.   Strategic Partnerships 9.   Transitions

ALFI CONT’D

How are you using your ALFI assessment? What changes have you implemented on

campus? Are you incorporating lessons learned from ALFI

into your strategic plans? Are you incorporating CAEL’s principles on your

campus to be more adult-friendly?

WHAT IS PLA?

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA): § PLA credits are awarded to students, by the institution based on performance on examinations or evaluation/assessment of learning from work/life experiences, and accepted in lieu of enrollment in and completion of credit courses.

PLA CONT’D

•  Are the mechanisms or structure for PLA established on your campus?

•  Have the structures been formalized? •  How are you communicating information about PLA? •  How are you tracking inquiries or requests about PLA? •  Have you modified your institutional policies and

procedures to incorporate PLA? •  Is the PLA 2000 course approved by your Academic Affairs

Committee and Faculty Senate?

PROJECT INTEGRATION Do you have an Adult Learning Committee on your campus? Do you have a PLA Committee on your campus? If so who are represented? •  Director of Admissions •  Director of Financial Aid •  Coordinator of Student Advisement •  Registrar •  Faculty from each Four Divisions: Business, Natural Science, Social Science, and Humanities

& Fine Arts •  Master Assessors and Director •  VP for Enrollment Management •  Deans •  Director of Inst. Research

PROGRAM FOCUS Target Programs

•  Criminal Justice •  Business •  Info Tech/CS •  Education •  Nursing •  Electronics Engineering Technology •  Student Services •  Collaborative work •  Workforce Needs

Target  Popula-on  

–Displaced  workers    

BI-ANNUAL REPORTS

•  Enrollment •  PLA credit hours awarded & adult students impacted •  Transfer credit hours accepted •  Transfer adult students placement •  Placement •  Collaborative Online degree •  Presentations & Dissemination •  Faculty Training & Project Expertise development

ADULT ENROLLMENT

“The unduplicated number of enrolled undergraduate students who are 25 years and older as of the official census date”

Historical Periods: •  Full Academic Year (Summer, Fall, Spring)

Current Period: •  December Report: Summer & Fall •  June Report: Spring

PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT (PLA)

• Number of credit hours awarded through:

-AP Exam -CLEP -ACE -ACE -DSST -Challenge Exam -PLA Course -Portfolio Assessment -Other

Number of adult students who received credit hours from: -AP Exam -CLEP -ACE -ACE -DSST -Challenge Exam -PLA Course -Portfolio Assessment -Other

TRANSFER CREDITS & PLACEMENT

Transfer credits earned & accepted

Prior College Prior Experience

Transfer students placement All Adult Students placement

COLLABORATIVE ONLINE DEGREE

•  Student Enrollment •  Faculty instruction •  Course offerings •  Areas of concentration offered

DISSEMINATION

# Group Presentations # in Audience

# Pieces Distributed

Higher Ed Professionals (on campus)

Adult Population

Adult Learning

Committee

External Stakeholders

INQUIRIES •  Website Visits/Hits •  Office Visits •  Incoming Phone Calls •  Emails

ANY INQUIRIES REFERRING TO PAC?

Adults Back to College Campaign •  Billboards/Outdoor

•  Radio

•  Online Radio ads

•  Television

•  Internet/Pop-Up ads

•  Internet/Google Ad words

•  Website

FACULTY TRAINING & PROJECT EXPERTISE DEVELOPMENT

DePaul Workshops I-IV PLA Training SPSU’s on-line PLA Faculty Training Specialized Trainings

CLEP ACE Other?

ADDITIONAL REPORTING

Organizational Information •  Offer PLA •  CLEP policies •  SOC membership •  Military Outreach Center •  Near Military Base •  -Offers Rolling Admissions •  Implemented Degree Works

Student Services •  Adult Services •  Distance Learning •  Career Counseling •  Disability •  VA personnel on campus

END OF THE YEAR FINAL REPORT

• Comprehensive information • Quarterly reports data elements • Lessons learned • Qualitative data

ADDITIONAL COLLEGE ACCESS DATA

Applicant to Decision to Enrollment -Student contact information -Some demographic -Prior college attendance -First Entry Point of Contact

Do you track… -# of prospective students that applied for admissions? -# of prospective students that did not apply for admissions? -# of prospective students that were accepted? -# of prospective students that were accepted but not enrolled? -# of prospective students that applied but were rejected? -# of prospective students that applied but were waitlisted?

DISCUSSIONS •  Data concerns •  IRB •  Report Submission •  Questions???

CONTACT

Rebecca Jean-Baptiste, MPA Grants Research Director

College Access Challenge Grant (404) 962-3136

Rebecca.JeanBaptiste@usg.edu