CAEL's Credit for Prior Learning Expertise Highlighted in Inside Higher Ed Article

On April 14, CAEL and Lumina Foundation hosted Advancing Adult Learners to Completion: The Power of Credit for Prior Learning in HBCUs, a national webinar. The event featured experts from CAEL as well as HBCU and PBI institutions, including a member of the North Carolina HBCU Adult Learner Initiative (ALI). In an April 22 article, Inside Higher Ed categorized lessons gleaned from the experiences implementing CPL at the institutions into several categories:

• Understanding the need.
• Gaining buy-in.
• Creating early awareness.
• Easing access.
• Funding CPL.
• Being mission-minded.

In 2024, CAEL was awarded a grant from Lumina Foundation as part of its 2021 Historically Black Colleges and Universities initiative and its student success portfolio for four-year institutions. The ALI’s goal is to support institutional sustainability and student success, particularly for adult students. 

“CAEL is excited to showcase CPL as a strategy that supports all students and to expand its implementation within HBCU institutions,” said Dr. Gloria Mwase, senior vice president of research, impact, and learning for CAEL. 

CPL is a key driver of adult student success. Overall, adults who earn credit for prior learning are 17% more likely to graduate than adults who do not. The CPL completion benefit is 25% for adults at community colleges, 24% for Hispanic adults, 13% for Black adults, and 19% for Pell Grant recipients. Unfortunately, although Black and lower-income adult students receive strong boosts to credential completion from CPL, they are the least likely to receive such credit, which only underscores the opportunities CPL presents.

The ALI is supported by CAEL’s longstanding expertise and experience advancing CPL through research, policy work, and the development of practical resources. CAEL's initiatives include:

• Research: CAEL has led research on CPL impact, practice, policy, and equity since 2010.
• Policy: CAEL supports the expansion of CPL through policy and advocacy efforts.
• Resources: CAEL offers a Quick Start Kit, technical assistance, professional development, and technology platforms like Credit Predictor Pro to support CPL implementation.
• Network: CAEL's CPL Provider Network connects adult learners with institutions that offer CPL.

A replay of the webinar and more information about CPL, including how to receive a free resource kit, are available at cael.org.