Higher Education Conference on Enrollment Management

1
Higher Education Conference on Enrollment
Management

• Call to Action How to Use the ALFI Data
• Redlands Community College
• February 26, 2009
• Judy Wertheim, Ed.D.
• Vice President, Higher Education Services
• CAEL

2
CAEL What Is CAEL?

• CAEL is the Council for Adult and Experiential
  Learning
• A 501(c)3 non-profit, international organization
  with 34 years of experience
• Headquartered in Chicago, IL with offices in
  Philadelphia, PA Denver, CO New York, NY and
  Toronto, Canada
• Approximately 600 members

3
CAELS Mission

• CAELs Mission
• CAEL works to expand lifelong learning
  opportunities for adults.
• CAEL pioneers learning strategies for adult
  learners in partnership with community colleges
  and universities, employers, labor organizations
  and government.

4
CAEL ADULTS

• CAELs Work on Behalf of Adults
• 1970s 1980s assisted educational institutions
  to provide adults with meaningful, relevant and
  quality learning experiences focused primarily
  on Prior Learning Assessment
• 1980s 1990s added outreach and services to
  employers to expand access to postsecondary
  education for both the active and downsized
  workforce
• 1990s - present added public policy efforts to
  remove systemic barriers to lifelong learning,
  and link adult learning with workforce and
  economic development

5
ALFI

• The Adult Learning Focused Institution
• (ALFI)

6
ALFI Project Origins

• CAELs Benchmarking Study
• Best Practices in Adult Learning
• Nine Principles of Effectiveness for Serving
  Adult Learners
• Workbook for Informal Assessments
• ALFI Assessment Tools
• Adult Learner Inventory
• Institutional Self-Assessment

7
CAELs ALFI Project

• CAELs Principles of Effectiveness for Serving
  Adult Learners
• Outreach
• Life Career Planning
• Financing
• Assessment of Learning Outcomes
• Teaching-Learning Process
• Student Support Systems
• Technology
• Strategic Partnerships
• Transitions

8
The Nine Principles

• The Principles of Effectiveness are
• Integrated they work together
• Indivisible they form a whole
• Imperative not just a good idea

9
Adult Learning In Focus

• Why Is Adult Learning Important?
• Emerging issues of global competitiveness
• Inadequacy of the traditional educational
  pipeline
• Demographics of the U.S. workforce

10
Adult Learning in Focus

• Main sources will have to be tapped to rectify
  this shortfall
• Adults (25-64) who never completed high school
  21 million
• Adults with high school diplomas but no
  college46 million
• Adults with some college but no degree32 million

11
The ALFI Toolkit

• Data obtained with the Toolkit help institutions
  recruit, retain, and graduate adult students.
• The Toolkit is based on CAELs Nine Essential
  Principles of Serving Adult Learners.

12
(No Transcript)
13
Your Institution CTC
14
(No Transcript)
15
Your Institution
Your Institution ISAS Mean
Your institutions Importance Mean
16
Uses of ALFI Data

• Use strengths as positive feedback on campus
• Share with faculty, staff, and students
• Use with admissions and recruiting materials
• Incorporate results in internal and external
  public relations plans
• Use departments that are doing well as models

17
Uses of ALFI Data

• Preparation for accreditation review
• Internal program review
• Development of strategic plans
• Aligning resources to best meet the needs of
  adult learners

18
Challenges

• Attempt to respond to no more than 3-5 for any
  given academic year
• ALFI data help set priorities
• Determine some activities that are campuswide and
  those that may be specific to departments on
  campus
• Inform the campus of the plan and actively work
  the plan
• Inform the campus when changes have been made

19
Using the Results -- Examples

• Cost-Free/Low-Cost Strategies
• Redesign student orientation sessions
• Create student mentor program to help new
  students
• Form an Adult Learner committee
• Initiate mandatory advising training for faculty
  online tools to update information

20
Using the Results -- Examples

• Cost-Free/Low-Cost Strategies
• Include data in annual report
• Facilitate discussion debate
• Convene student focus groups
• Use data as baseline for future assessments

21
Some Strategies for Helping Adults

• Articulation agreements with two-year
  institutions
• Prior Learning Assessment policies and practices
• Flexible academic programs
• Flexible payment options

22
Some Strategies for Helping Adults

• Dedicated advising and retention staff
• Updated, welcoming Web site
• A non-credit program to help adults transition to
  college
• Initiate orientation sessions

23
Oklahoma Examples

• Questions for You
• What has your campus done to attract,
• retain, and graduate adult learners?
• How do these efforts address the nine essential
  principles of serving adult learners?