May 10, 2013

Will Non-Traditional Learning Credit Effect Retention & Graduation Rates?

May. 10, 2013 at 08:00 AM | By Robynn Anton | Comment Count

From CLEP (College Level Examination Program) credit to distance learning courses such as MOOCs (massive open online courses), non-traditional and experience based learning opportunities for credit are slowly rising in acceptance and are well on their way to changing the education landscape, showing signs of increased student engagement, retention, and degree completion.

Is it beneficial for your institution to consider adopting a non-traditional learning curriculum?
Will accepting non-traditional credit help increase performance and student retention?

The research says, “Yes!”

Results of a research study conducted by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) supported not only the fact that students who participate in non-traditional learning for credit, or prior learning assessments (PLA), stay in school but they also out-perform other students. Increased academic outcomes were based on the following measurements:

More credits earned than the average student.
Faster time to degree completion.
Higher graduation rates.

Although not originally recognized by a traditional 4-year institution as a viable option for credit, non- traditional programs are gaining acceptance as accreditation processes emerge, suggesting that colleges and universities should take note.

Important developments:

ACE, American Council on Education, recently approved and established accreditation standards for 5 select MOOCs available through Coursera.
U.S. Department of Education announced in March that it may award financial aid based on a student’s “mastery” of “competencies” vs. their accumulation of credits, allowing schools to award financial aid for non-traditional learning programs.

With research supporting increased engagement and improved retention rates for students who participate and receive credit for non-traditional learning, the adoption of such programs is seemingly a win-win situation for both the institution as well as the student. For students who may not be able to completely finance a traditional degree or who are hoping to participate in an accelerated degree completion program, receiving credit for experience and non-traditional coursework is attractive because it yields opportunity for significant time and cost savings.

Benefits of non-traditional learning credits include:

Students and institutions enjoy increased student engagement and retention rates leading to higher degree completion.
Students save time and money.
Students can explore areas of interest before financially committing to a course or path (i.e. by taking a MOOC).
Institutions who participate can expand their brand to students who may not have been exposed to your school otherwise.
Institutions can create and build a niche market for a particular course of study and develop their professors as thought leaders in their particular field.
Universal benefit: new avenues of education and learning can potentially increase global competitiveness.

Where are we today?

Universities across the nation are designing non-traditional programs to not only aid in their retention and, thus, graduation rates but also to help meet the needs of their students including: reducing costs, expediting degree completion, offering programs for courses that often have wait lists, and meeting the students’ individual learning needs and styles.

San Jose University is partnering with Udacity and edX, offering pilot programs for MOOCs to help manage the wait list for over-crowded core courses and to offer remedial courses for students struggling to keep up in the college classroom.
Southern New Hampshire University created College of America, a non-traditional learning program designed to aid working adults in acquiring an associate’s degree for experience based learning when traditional classes are not a requirement.
The University of Akron has developed its own credit program for non-traditional learning called Express to Success. Similar to CLEP, but offered directly through the school, Express to Success allows students to take an exam for credit and provides the option for pre-test tutoring for a fee. Biggest drawback for the student? Once the student takes the test, the grade counts towards their GPA

As accrediting organizations gain momentum and new non-traditional programs emerge, consider how these programs may affect your student body:

Will accepting or participating in non- traditional learning courses dilute or compliment your institutions reputation?
Will your bottom line increase due to student retention or will your students run towards the “more convenient” and less expensive alternatives for more of their college credits?
What would be an acceptable balance of non-traditional vs. traditional credits in order to receive a degree from your institution?

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Don’t be shy. Leave a comment. We’re interested to hear your view and thoughts on this ever expanding topic.