MoHealthWINs: Supporting Academic and Career Success through Credit for Prior Learning Debbie Goodall

Margaret BoydCheryl Carpenter-Davis

Overview

MoWINs grants at Missouri Community CollegesWhy are we doing this?Credit for Prior Learning Identifying opportunities for MCCFocusing on student success

What is MoWINs?MoWINsUSDOL State Consortium grants totaling $5 million to:

Accelerate progress for Low-Skilled and Other WorkersBuild academic skills in technical context

Improve retention and achievement ratesReduce time to completion

Award credit for prior learningStructure stackable credential frameworks that align/link non-credit

and credit coursesBuild Programs that meet industry needs

Work closely with industry and Workforce Sector Partners to develop/restructure curriculum

Strengthen on-line and technology-enabled learning

What is MoWINs?

Commitment goal: Serve 1,500 adult students Program areas:

Information Technologies including Digital Literacy and Health Informatics

NursingEnvironmental Services/HVAC Industrial TechnologyManufacturing Welding

Why are we doing this?There are over 10 million unemployed adults.

Many of them need skill upgrades or new credentials.

Workers with postsecondary credentials earn more and are more likely to keep their jobs.

Adults bring knowledge gained through training and education that has occurred outside of a college setting.

Adults often do not complete postsecondary training – particularly if they’re required to complete remedial or developmental education before earning a credential.

Assessing prior learning helps adults and dislocated workers obtain credit for independently attained knowledge and skills, thereby accelerating the process of credential attainment.

Did you know…It takes full-time students, on average,

3.3 years to earn a one-year certificate3.8 years to earn a two-year degree4.7 years to earn a four-year degree

It takes part-time students, on average,4.4 years to earn a one-year certificate5 years to earn a two-year degree5.6 years to earn a four-year degree

(Source: Complete College America)

Time is the EnemyStaying in school longer doesn’t significantly increase a student’s chance of graduating:

Data shows that taking an extra year to complete an associate degree or two extra years to earn a bachelor’s degree only increases graduation rates by 4.9 percent -- for both groups.

Students are opting out, giving up, abandoning their educational goals.

(Source: Complete College America)

Credit for Prior Learning (c4pl)

Definition: Awarding college credit for demonstrated or validated acquisition of knowledge, skills and competencies attained outside the college-credit environment.

Types: College non-credit and on-the-job training; military and apprenticeship training; reverse transfer coursework; industry or professional certifications; or in-service training sponsored by associations, business, government and industry.

A case for Credit for Prior Learning

A recent study of 62,000 students at 48 postsecondary institutions found that 56% of adult students who had earned credit for non-credit training or prior experience earned a postsecondary degree within seven years, while only 21% of those who completed credits in the traditional manner did.

(Source: Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success, Chicago Council for Experiential Learning, 2010)

Advantages of c4plStudents benefit: accelerates their time to complete a

degree and advance on the industry career ladder.Colleges benefit: broadens the pool of students and

encourages the development of state and national articulation agreements with greater connection to industry.

Workforce Development benefits: shortens the time to convert a student/trainee into an employee.

Industry benefits: creates a stronger connection to both educational institution and workforce development system.

Some c4pl options to consider….Individual student portfolios: Evaluated by faculty with

deep subject matter expertiseChallenge exams or standardized examsFull program evaluation for industry/professional

training programsExternal source competency-based evaluations (CAEL/ACE)

Retroactive award of credit for credit and non-credit training programs statewide

Examples of current practices:Standardized exams

Advanced Placement (AP)College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Credit by examination (CSIS 115 and BTC technical program courses)

Credit by Certification

Reverse Transfer

Individual student portfolios (Art, Spanish)

Alignment of credit courses and non-credit trainingWelding, military

Environmental Services Pathway

Process at MCC Credit or its equivalent should be awarded only for

learning, and not for experience

Credit awards and competence levels must be made by appropriate subject matter and academic or credentialing experts

Fees charged for assessment are based on the type of credit awarded

SWOT Analysis

Strengths/Opportunities

Weaknesses/Threats

FeedbackWhat are areas where credit for prior learning has

worked well at MCC?

What are the opportunities for MCC?

Other areas we should consider?

Additional concerns and thoughts?

In Summary: Focusing on Student Success

MCC Mission:Preparing students, serving communities, creating opportunities

MCC’s Core Principles: Completion and Student Learning

SEM Project Alignment: Intrusive Advising and Student Support

The Right Focus: A student’s right to succeed rather than fail.