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Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) recognizes the skills and knowledge students already have, making higher education more affordable and accessible. In 2020, 40% of full-time undergraduate students were working (https://buff.ly/4fVK4Zu). By reducing time to degree completion, CPL has the potential to empower students to balance education with life’s demands while saving money. How can colleges implement consistent policies to help students leverage their work experience? #StudentSuccess #Affordability #HigherEd

One potential benefit of enrolling high school students in college level courses at your institution is the potential that they will stay enrolled after graduation. So far, that outcome remains elusive. https://lnkd.in/gHuX2gd5

“There is a great need for more structured, supported, and enforced data management practices.” -Report: Understanding CPL Policies for Student Success, IHE Well, yes, this exact sentiment has been valid for decades. But today, many colleges and universities have taken decisive action by using machine learning to evaluate and award credit for military experience and many other sources of prior learning. While the report indicates that few states track CPL data, AssessED™ by AcademyOne addresses this gap by collecting, processing, and interpreting system data on students who have submitted petitions and paid assessment fees. This feature enables institutions to improve the accuracy and timeliness of their CPL strategic planning efforts. AssessED™ ensures faculty evaluators use agreed-upon CAEL rubrics and standard scoring criteria, addressing potential concerns about maintaining academic standards in CPL programs and making CPL more accessible to non-traditional and disadvantaged learners by providing a user-friendly platform to explore credit opportunities and submit petitions. By addressing these key areas, AcademyOne's AssessED™ helps institutions implement more comprehensive and effective CPL policies, potentially improving student success outcomes as highlighted in the report. #CPL #RPL #learningtoearning #highereducationleadership

I read two excellent publications this week on the need to reform college credit transfer policies. The first from Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice (CHEPP) outlines the enormous extra costs that outdated credit transfer policies impose on students, how the issues contribute to the 40 million stop outs and the disproportionate impact on low-income and working students. It also includes case studies of institutions that do a bber job. https://lnkd.in/gxBEKeDD Will Carroll Brenae Smith, M.S.Ed. ___ The second is about teacher education in Texas. There is a lot of talent and experience being left on the table. EdTrust Judith Cruz https://lnkd.in/gFKbVkBX ___ From a marketing perspective, fixing the transfer credit problem is a no-brainer. A truism in marketing is that the best ROI is in order: current customers, lapsed customers and new customers. But higher ed spends most of its energy on 17 year olds and far less in retention, transfer students and stop outs. The CHEPP report SNHU (a former client of mine) as an a better approach to accepting transfer credits. You know what SNHU has that the rest of higher doesn't? 200,000 of your former students! ___ My least favorite form of  transfer credit bottleneck is when it happens between institutions in the same state system. Years ago, I was involved with a university with faculty reps on a multi-campus task force working on a transfer articulation agreement. The last I checked it had outlasted three governors. The publications above are more diplomatic than I am. They don’t say this problem persists because of: • Not-invented-here syndrome • Contempt for community colleges • Disinterest in non-traditional learners • Insecurity about not being a R1 Some faculty are embarrassed that they landed at less prestigious regional universities and that their courses aren't filled residential full-time students more eager for a life of the mind than for careers. So they design systems that exclude rather than include. They dig in their heels about how their particular courses and course sequences are so distinct instead of asking why it’s necessary for them to be distinct. My dream policy would be the exact opposite of what currently happens — the default presumption would be to accept all transfer credits without question. Instead, the burden should be on department chairs to appeal that decision for incoming credits. You think your Intro class is so different from the one this incoming student already took? Fill out this form and submit it to the dean. If . . . • you named a set of peer institutions in your strategic plan or your IPEDs reporting • you are part of a consortium • you are part of a state university system … … just trust your peers and accept the transfer credits already.

Colleges and universities are increasingly turning to credit for prior learning (CPL) practices as a means of promoting student success and enhancing degree completion. Previous research has indicated that CPL can increase degree completion rates by reducing the time required to earn a degree, with historically marginalized groups in higher education, including low-income learners, students of color, immigrants, and adult learners, reaping particular benefits. Moreover, students who utilize CPL tend to exhibit greater success post-graduation, including higher employment rates and increased earnings. https://lnkd.in/eDRfbPyP

Lots of helpful data in this report on dual enrollment. The stat that jumped out at me is on college enrollment after a dual enrollment experience. "Passing a DE course is associated with an 11.9-percentage-point increase in the probability of a student enrolling in any Texas postsecondary institution after high school for students taking academic DE courses, and a 10.0-percentage-point increase for those taking CTE DE courses." Great news, right? Get 'em early. Sort of. You better circle back to the data on who and how many pass dual enrollment programs. These are not all automatic wins by any means. The study suggests that ineffective programs can do more harm than good. via The Thomas B. Fordham Institute https://lnkd.in/gjwSTrRC

An excellent article on building high school dual-enrollment programs, and how these programs are changing the way today’s students find their individual career paths. Dual-enrollment is a win-win for the student, their families, and American industry.   Our Secondary Education Coordinator Donna Smith, a retired physics and optics teacher, is working with community colleges around the country to train teachers and help build dual-enrollment programs for the optics and photonics industry. In the greater Rochester, NY-area, there are 22 high schools offering dual-enrollment programs in optics. Alexis Spilman Vogt, PhD, Endowed Chair & Professor of Optics at Monroe Community College and Executive Director of Workforce & Higher Education at AmeriCOM, said that 28 percent of students who are enrolled in the program this academic year took a dual-enrollment optics course while in high school.   We need to build these programs nationwide and the optics industry can help! For more information, contact AmeriCOM. #Optics+Photonics #TheFutureIsOptics

This is how you can reduce college cost on a pathway program to skilled trades, short term training and stackable certificate to degree programs.

🌟 New Blog Alert! 🌟 Exciting news! Our very own Will Carroll has a new article featured on Inside Higher Ed discussing how some institutions are reducing the costs of college transfers with student-centered policies. Will and Meaghan R. explore how colleges like Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) break down barriers to make the transfer process smoother and more affordable for learners. 📚 Read more about how these policies are reshaping higher education for the better. 👉 https://bit.ly/3Xt2hHX

Many elite colleges, especially private ones, are instituting AP and IB policies that make it more difficult for students to graduate early, choosing to either ignore AP or IB scores, cap credits earned for these courses, or requiring higher scores from students. #GreatCollegeAdvice #AP #IB #CollegeCredits