The Latino and Adult Student Success (LASS) Academy is a multi-year initiative administered by CAEL (the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning) focused on supporting Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in their efforts to improve outcomes for adult and Latino adult learners. In its first phase, from 2018 through 2021, the LASS Academy…

Community colleges have a long history of developing and delivering training that is responsive to the needs of regional employers, both large and small, and providing students with affordable pathways to postsecondary credentials of value. Building high-quality apprenticeship programs requires expertise in both areas. This brief presents an…

"Making the Future: The Wisconsin Strategy," under the leadership of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC), received a Round Two U.S. Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance for Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant. The consortium brought together all 16 colleges in the Wisconsin Technical College System…

Some institutions' prior learning assessment (PLA) programs are far more successful than others. As with any strategic initiative, the best-intentioned policy is only as good as the implementation, operations, and people behind it. Beyond progressing through the change management process, ensuring sustainability is critical to long-term PLA…

The perceived value of postsecondary education to economic competitiveness and individual success is driving innovation in higher education. Competency-based education (CBE) is the latest disruption that seeks to respond to the growing sense of national urgency to boost education attainment. The target audience generally includes those adult…

The rules, systems and processes that work for traditional, term based, brick and mortar programs do not always work to advance the innovation that currently exists within higher education, and the recommendations in this paper are the first step to help ensure barriers are eliminated that stifle this innovation. Innovative learning models provide…

Higher education is a critical element of the American economy, because of both its benefits and its costs to individuals and taxpayers. Yet we know very little about the relationships between the things colleges and universities do and the resources they need to do them. Currently, shrinking public support and increasing tuition make it urgent…

The article presents the consideration of grading scales used for education outcomes in different countries, describes likeness and differences of applied grading scales. Application of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) grading scale is investigated according of the analysis of scientific literature as well as cases of…

Since the publication of the initial report of the League's Commission on the Future (COTF), there have been many reports written and the California Community Colleges have taken many steps to improve student success and completion. However, there is still much to do. This paper will provide a brief assessment of where we are--in relation to…

As states seek to significantly increase college completion rates in a time of declining public resources, the fear is that the traditional model of higher education is no longer affordable or appropriate for the increasingly diverse marketplace of students who seek a college credential to improve their prospects in an increasingly competitive job…

The paper develops and illustrates a model for designing courses. The model gives explicit attention to educational considerations, principally to the importance of active, goal-directed student learning. It also explores economic considerations, principally how to make the best possible use of the time of the teacher in planning and running the…

This report from the Community College Research Center sheds light on the current policies and practices that shape "dual enrollment" efforts in California. The report, funded by The James Irvine Foundation, demonstrates the feasibility of using dual enrollment programs to enhance college and career pathways for low-income youth who are…

Several national and international assessments have demonstrated that there has been little improvement in the performance of American high school students in recent decades. High school students are increasingly underprepared for transition into college-level course-work. One new approach to high school redesign, "early college," seeks…

The Bologna Process presents both opportunities and challenges for teachers in the European area. As tensions surface between different forms of national legislation, accreditation and quality assurance, projects need to be developed that model ways of resolving problems within a European context. Utilising their links and network of contacts…

Portfolio assessment, designed after the model disseminated originally by the Cooperative Assessment of Experiential Learning (CAEL) project, has become the assessment technique of choice in prior learning programs as well as the foundation for adult degree programs. Innovations and changes in the assessment process are discussed. (Author/MLW)