Posted September 8th, 2015
By Kris Powers
Higher Ed Insight, a research consulting firm, conducted an evaluation of Lumina Foundation’s Adult College Completion initiative from 2010 to 2014. The resulting report, Adult College Completion in the 21st Century: What We Know and What We Don’t, finds that while interest in adult college completion has increased across the entire higher education and policy communities, there are still challenges that adult students face when they return to college. While not insurmountable, those challenges could become significant if left unaddressed for the 30 to 35 million American adults who have enrolled in college but never completed a degree nor obtained certification.
The report seeks to describe the services and support that adults with some college credit need if they are to return to college and successfully complete a degree or credential.
Several key needs identified that would benefit returning adult students include:
- Access to advisers who are capable of addressing adult students' needs;
- Student services that are available online or during nontraditional business hours;
- Outreach to adult students who are only a few credit hours away from college degree completion or certificate obtainment;
- Additional sources of financial aid targeted to adult students;
- Improved transfer of existing college credit;
- Flexible course scheduling, online courses and innovative academic programs;
- Access to opportunities to earn credit for prior learning.
Co-authors Wendy Erisman and Patricia Steele state “our hope is that this report contributes to the field by offering an overview of what we know, and what we do not yet know, about this important population of returning adult college students.”
Sources:
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/06/19/how-better-serve-returning-adult-students
https://higheredinsight.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/luminabriefapril20141.pdf
