ALERT
Adult Learning and Education Research and Trends

Is it obvious to most observers that the way college is depicted on the silver screen is only a pale imitation of what higher education truly offers to learners, especially when it comes to so-called nontraditional students? (Think: Melissa McCarthy's character in the 2018 comedy "Life of the Party.") Hollywood continues to perpetuate the enduring perception that college is still merely a haven for young people to let loose, and that narrative comes at the expense of a rising tide with more and more adult students. We need to stop thinking of these students as fish out of water and realize that they represent the new normal of higher education.

CAEL President Marie A. Cini is responding to that narrative with one of her own.

Complete Florida was created in 2013 to help the millions of adults across the state who have earned some college credit, but not a degree. The services offered by Complete Florida are completely free for participants, and they help individuals to complete a certificate or degree program. Ultimately, this boost can make it possible for participants to achieve employment in high-demand occupations.
 
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) plays an integral role in the Complete Florida framework. Through assessments that evaluate students’ existing skill sets, the state of Florida recognizes the importance of adults being able to obtain credit for their years of on-the-job experience.

In August 2018, CAEL launched an ambitious new project to improve outcomes for adult Latino students in higher education. The Adult Learner 360 Academy for HSIs is an ongoing initiative to work with 15 Hispanic-serving institutions from across the country:

Austin Community College, TX
Bronx Community College, NY
California State University-Sacramento, CA
Estrella Mountain Community College, AZ
Florida International University, FL
Lehman College, NY
Phoenix College, AZ
Richard J. Daley College, IL
South Texas College, TX
Texas A&M University-San Antonio, TX
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, TX
Union Institute & University, OH
University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, TX
University of Wisconsin-Parkside, WI
West Los Angeles Community College, CA

Funded by generous support from The Kresge Foundation, Ascendium Education Group and Greater Texas Foundation, this three-year project, in partnership with Excelencia in Education, will help the participating HSIs identify areas where they can enhance their services. CAEL will provide professional development, tools and research to support the participants.

As part of the program, the partner HSIs will come together annually with CAEL and Excelencia in Education for the Latino Adult Student Success Convening (LASSC). With our first convening for the initiative on the horizon later in February, we asked our funders what drew them to this project and why they’re involved in the cause to support working adult Latino students.

The old career services model—where students seek out help with job searches, resume writing and career preparation—was never all that exciting or engaging for students in years past, and chances are that many of the career services offered today haven’t changed much, other than using new high-tech tools and directing students to online job postings. The truth is that, historically speaking, colleges haven’t made career services a big priority.

Students can tell. In fact, according to a recent survey by the Strada Education Network and Gallup, nearly 4 in every 10 college students have never visited their colleges’ career offices or used their resources.

We have been hearing more and more about “today’s students” and how they are much more likely to be older people who work and have significant family responsibilities. Some people also refer to these students as nontraditional, post-traditional or simply as adult learners. Regardless of what term is used, colleges and universities are starting to pay a lot more attention to these students, but many postsecondary institutions often wonder what they should be doing differently to meet the needs of today’s students.

Jeannie McCarron is currently the Director of Higher Education at CAEL and serves on the Executive Board for CAP. She'll join us as a featured speaker at the 2018 CAEL International Conference in Cleveland, which runs from November 13 to 16.

CAP officially joined CAEL on July 1, 2018.

I had the wondrous opportunity to work with accelerated program leaders, administrators and faculty when I served as Director of the Council for Accelerated Programs (CAP) for almost 12 years. I was continually struck by the sheer tenacity of this group—a group of resilient professionals whose work was often viewed as “lesser quality” compared to those working in traditional programs. I watched this group hold firm in their beliefs that these programs were of the highest possible quality and served a population of learners who needed this format to achieve their goals and earn the credentials they deeply desired. Although there were times of enhanced scrutiny due to new regulations and a focus on the credit hour and Carnegie Unit, this team of warriors held steadfast and kept going, improving, serving. These professionals kept their eye on the ball and kept playing—and achieving.

Dr. Peter Smith is a founding board member of CAEL, and he'll discuss issues related to the world of adult learning at CAEL International Conference 2018, which takes place from November 13 to 16 in Cleveland!

It is time for a national discussion about talent, learning and employment. The subjects of this conversation are the millions of adults in America today with significant talent and knowledge, but no certificate or degree. The people who can do something about it are educators, entrepreneurs and employers. We are used to thinking about higher education as an opportunity for the individual. But it has become a necessity for the economic future of our country as well.

The postsecondary learning landscape is changing, and adult learners are starting to be recognized across the world of higher education. In recent media articles, we’ve seen evidence of both the change in learners and in the institutions serving them.

This week, Washington Monthly’s 2018 College Guide & Rankings included its third annual ranking of the institutions that serve adult learners. I’m proud of our collaboration with the magazine, which dates back to 2016, when the CAEL team joined forces with Washington Monthly to advise them on the metrics that might be used to identify America’s best colleges for adult learners.

There is a plethora of data being collected about everyone and everything. Every time you log onto Google or Amazon or Facebook, your data profile grows larger. Search for recycled product and offers for everything from organic produce to reusable straws will appear in your email and Amazon recommendations. The question is, does the analytical powers of data collection have any real measurable impact on the items that you purchase in the future? Is the collected and stored data changing our consumer habits? Or, like commercial television advertisements, are we learning to ignore the messages?

HundrED, a non-profit organization that discovers inspiring innovations in K-12 education, has a list of the top 100 worldwide education innovations for each year. They seek out innovations in K-12 to document and share in the hopes of inspiring other schools to copy or create new ones. Meanwhile, the reports about post-secondary education seem to be mired in unsolvable problems, attacks from politicians and the general outlook that it is the end of higher education.