ERIC Number: ED625602
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Dec
Pages: 10
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Supporting Adult Learners through the SUCCESS Program: Exploring the Experiences of Students Ages 25 and Older
Dorimé-Williams, Marjorie; Plancarte, Vivianna
MDRC
In 2019, MDRC launched the Scaling Up College Completion Efforts for Student Success (SUCCESS) project to improve college completion rates for traditionally underserved students, such as students from low-income backgrounds and students of color, at community and broad-access colleges (those that have open or minimally selective admissions policies). The SUCCESS program integrates multiple evidence-based components proven in previous studies to help students stay enrolled and graduate. Relatively little is known about how to best serve adult learners and improve their graduation rates. This brief highlights the experiences of adult students 25 years or older in the SUCCESS program at four institutions and explores how SUCCESS supports adult learners and how it, and other programs, can do more. Namely, this research reveals that: (1) students found the SUCCESS coaching component particularly valuable in terms of keeping them accountable and providing resources; (2) the full-time enrollment requirement posed a challenge for balancing academic and personal responsibilities; (3) although students appreciated the financial incentive many still had unmet financial needs; and (4) beyond the SUCCESS components, students expressed they could benefit from additional flexibility, community-building opportunities, and support with technology. [The following additionally financially supported the SUCCESS demonstration: the Minnesota State System Office and the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.]
Descriptors: Adults, Adult Learning, College Students, Community College Students, Open Universities, Community Colleges, Program Evaluation, Student Experience, Program Effectiveness, Social Support Groups, Dropout Prevention
MDRC. 16 East 34th Street 19th Floor, New York, NY 10016-4326. Tel: 212-532-3200; Fax: 212-684-0832; e-mail: publications@mdrc.org; Web site: http://www.mdrc.org
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Adult Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Lumina Foundation; Kresge Foundation; Arnold Ventures; Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: MDRC
Identifiers - Location: Minnesota; New Jersey; Indiana; Ohio
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A210276