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With a Map and a Mentor: Charting Pathways to College Completion

This session provides an overview of ACE programs and services for adult learners, including military veterans, GED test-takers, and learners aged 50+. It explores initiatives and emerging practices in mapping prior learning assessment credits to credentials, creating career pathways, and ensuring successful transitions to education and employment.

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With a Map and a Mentor: Charting Pathways to College Completion

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  1. With a Map and a Mentor: Charting Pathways to College Completion Mary Beth Lakin, Associate Director Center for Lifelong Learning

  2. Session Agenda • Overview of ACE Programs & Services • Adult Learner Populations: Postsecondary Focus • Military Veterans • GED test-takers & graduates • Learners aged 50 & older • Initiatives & Programs: Emerging Practices

  3. ACE: Overview Founded in 1918, the American Council on Education (ACE), is the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents, and more than 200 related associations, nationwide. It provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy. 3

  4. ACE’s Military Evaluation Program • MEP provides institutions with basis for recognizing military educational experiences in terms of civilian academic credit. • Since the early 1940s, MEP has reviewed & made credit recommendations for thousands of college-level courses offered by the military services. • In 1974 MEP began evaluation of military occupational specialties. 4

  5. About Military Evaluations 2010 Fiscal Year • 42 installation visits • 1,900 courses • 105 occupations • 95 teaching faculty members • 3,700 semester hours in the lower division • 1,700 semester hours in the upper division • 125 semester hours in the graduate division 5

  6. Faculty Evaluators Types of institutions Approximately 7,000 faculty on military teams (since 1954) 6

  7. General Review Process CREDIT Review Process http://www.acenet.edu/credit/reviewprocess Conduct pre-meetings with points of contacts Travel to training locations Review materials & conduct interviews Document evaluation & write descriptions Complete final reports 7

  8. Military Occupation Evaluation Military Programs: Resource Tools for Colleges and Universities http://www.acenet.edu/militaryprograms/resourcetools • Occupation is job designation by military service. • Review & assessment are more experiential. • Teams validate demonstrated & expected job knowledge, skills, abilities by pay grade. 8

  9. ACE College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) began in mid-1970s.Review process for participating organizations uses standards and procedures established through Military Evaluation Program.

  10. Corporations Government • Federal Bureau of Prisons • Immigration and Naturalization Service • U.S. Marshals Service • Foreign Service Institute

  11. www.acenet.edu/nationalguide

  12. ACE Transcript Services ACE CREDIT Registry and Transcript System http://www.acenet.edu/transcripts

  13. ACE CREDIT College & University Network Recognition of ACE Credit Recommendations Support from Lifelong Learning Resource Center Identification of Internal Strategies Development of Employer Partnerships Creation of Maps to Credentials Website Profiles http://www.acenet.edu/credit/network

  14. Landscape for Military Veterans • Low postsecondary participation & high unemployment, especially for young veterans • Gaps in awareness about education benefits & options • Lack of experience in translating military skills & knowledge: Veterans, colleges, & employers

  15. Landscape for Military Veterans • ACE/Wal-Mart: Success for Veterans Award Grants • Maps to Credentials: Creating an Integrated Prior Learning Assessment Model to Accelerate Postsecondary Attainment • Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD): Troops to Energy

  16. Emerging Practices Mapping PLA Credits to Credentials

  17. Emerging Practices: Maps Example: Minnesota State Colleges & Universities System Veterans’ Course Mappings: http://www.students.mnscu.edu/military/vets/identifyMilitaryExp.php • Guide learner to degree completion. • Chart prior learning credits to specific courses. • Include all aspects of degree requirements. • Provide assessment options for new learning. • Adapt for programs & populations.

  18. Targeted outreach Accelerated format Prior learning applications Bridge/transition courses Certificates as building blocks Industry competency framework Career counseling & mentoring Comprehensive & continuous employer engagement Emerging Practices Career Pathways Model Example: CEWD Troops to Energy

  19. Emerging Practices Transitions: Integrated, Holistic Approach • Life Planning • Identified Points of Contact • Gathering Places • Community Resources • Venues for Leadership Example: Lane Community College Lane’s Integration of Veterans in Education (LIVE)

  20. Emerging Practices Example: Veteran Success Jam www.acenet.edu/links/military/ensuring_success Toolkits for Success • Promising practices on college campuses • Financing education & using education benefits • Earning college credits for military training • Navigating path to college • Transitioning to employment & training • Supporting veterans’ families • Meeting physical & psychological health challenges 20

  21. Landscape for GED Graduates • Nearly 40 million U.S. adults 16 & older lack high school diploma or GED credential. • Since 1942, more than 17 million adults passed GED Test. • 65% give education as reason to take GED test; 43% enroll. • GED graduates may not enroll immediately or maintain steady enrollment. • GED graduates are more likely to enroll in 2-year (or shorter) programs in high-demand fields such as nursing. Crossing the Bridge: Year 1 Report. ACE, 2011.

  22. Landscape for GED Graduates • GED graduates’ postsecondary enrollment (PSE) varies by age, gender, & ethnicity. • 83% enroll close to home. • GED credential is potential PSE gateway, especially for non-white learners. • Age, parental status, full-time employment, & self-expectations risk factors for adults with GED credential. Crossing the Bridge: Year 2 Report. ACE, 2011.

  23. GED 21st Century Initiative • New, more rigorous GED test that aligns with common core state standards & ensures college & career readiness • National preparation program that expands learning resources • Transition network that connects GED test-takers with education & career options

  24. Emerging Practices GED preparation, basic adult skills, pre-apprenticeship bridge programs, & English language proficiency through specific career-tailored curriculum Vocational certificates, guaranteed interview with local employer, or entry into a postsecondary vocational program College credits (developmental education credits or dual enrollment status) • Contextualized Learning in a Career Field Example: Virginia PlugGED In

  25. Emerging Practices Proactive advisory services Orientation programs: College Student for a Day, college discovery activities, college survival skills, or First Year Academy • Postsecondary or Career Transition Services Example: Community College of Denver’s College Connection

  26. Emerging Practices Monitors class attendance & performance Makes interventions Provides social services referrals Liaises with teachers Case Management System or Coaching Example: Central Piedmont Community College’s Pathways to Employment

  27. Emerging Practices Provides experience of work & community service with tangible results Supports participants in taking key roles in activities & developing leadership skills Connects work, service, & leadership with education & learning Structure to Develop Sense of Self & Community Example: YouthBuild

  28. Landscape for Learners aged 50+ • Living longer • Working longer • Losing work at record-setting pace • Fastest-growing segment of workforce • Increased postsecondary participation: More than double in little more than decade

  29. Landscape for Learners Aged 50+ • Department of Labor: Aging Worker Initiative • Plus 50 Community Colleges • 21st Century Pathfinders: Older Learners in University Settings

  30. Emerging Practices Recognition of learning drivers Multiple environments for learning Teaching/learning formats Community connections Career/education navigation

  31. Emerging Practices: Examples Café Plus Concepthttp://www.matherlifeways.com/iyc_cafereplication.asp OLLI NSF InitiativeScience Education Center for the Third Age http://usm.maine.edu/olli/national/NSF_Projects/nsf_index.html Project SHINE at Temple University http://www.projectshine.org/philly

  32. The maps they gave us were out of date by years. --Adrienne Rich

  33. Creating New Maps What are we learning from emerging practices with military veterans, GED graduates, & learners aged 50+? What could we successfully adapt & sustain across learner populations? What is missing from our practices & approaches? Where do we go next?

  34. Contact Information Mary Beth Lakin mlakin@acenet.edu 202.939.9704

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