Higher Education Conference on Enrollment
Management
Call to Action: How to Use the ALFI Data
Redlands Community College
February 26, 2009
Judy Wertheim, Ed.D.
Vice President, Higher Education Services
CAEL
1
CAEL: What Is CAEL?
 CAEL is the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
 A 501(c)3 non-profit, international organization with 34
years of experience
 Headquartered in Chicago, IL with offices in Philadelphia,
PA; Denver, CO; New York, NY; and Toronto, Canada
 Approximately 600 members
2
CAEL’S Mission
CAEL’s Mission
 CAEL works to expand lifelong learning
opportunities for adults.
 CAEL pioneers learning strategies for adult
learners in partnership with community
colleges and universities, employers, labor
organizations and government.
3
CAEL & ADULTS
CAEL’s Work on Behalf of Adults
 1970s – 1980s assisted educational institutions to
provide adults with meaningful, relevant and quality
learning experiences; focused primarily on Prior Learning
Assessment
 1980s – 1990s added outreach and services to
employers to expand access to postsecondary education
for both the active and downsized workforce
 1990s - present added public policy efforts to remove
systemic barriers to lifelong learning, and link adult
learning with workforce and economic development
4
ALFI
The Adult Learning Focused Institution
(ALFI)
5
ALFI Project Origins
 CAEL’s Benchmarking Study
 Best Practices in Adult Learning
 Nine Principles of Effectiveness for Serving
Adult Learners
 Workbook for Informal Assessments
 ALFI Assessment Tools
• Adult Learner Inventory
• Institutional Self-Assessment
6
CAEL’s ALFI Project
CAEL’s Principles of Effectiveness for Serving
Adult Learners
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Outreach
Life & Career Planning
Financing
Assessment of Learning Outcomes
Teaching-Learning Process
Student Support Systems
Technology
Strategic Partnerships
Transitions
7
The Nine Principles
The Principles of Effectiveness are:
 Integrated – they work together
 Indivisible – they form a whole
 Imperative – not just “a good idea”
8
Adult Learning In Focus
Why Is Adult Learning Important?
 Emerging issues of global competitiveness
 Inadequacy of the traditional educational
pipeline
 Demographics of the U.S. workforce
9
Adult Learning in Focus
Main sources will have to be tapped to rectify this
shortfall
• Adults (25-64) who never completed high
school – 21 million
• Adults with high school diplomas but no
college—46 million
• Adults with some college but no degree—32
million
10
The ALFI Toolkit
 Data obtained with the Toolkit help
institutions recruit, retain, and graduate
adult students.
 The Toolkit is based on CAEL’s Nine
Essential Principles of Serving Adult
Learners.
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ISAS SUMMARY REPORT
Your Institution
ALFI Principle
Your
Mean
Highest
Lowest
Rank
Number of
Score
Score
Score
Score
Order
Institutions
Outreach
49.0
48.2
72.3
21.6
19
42
Life/Career Planning
46.6
45.1
77.8
20.8
18
42
Finance
53.7
54.2
80.6
15.4
24
42
Assessment
47.2
44.4
65.4
15.0
15
42
Teaching and Learning Process
44.1
42.9
66.6
21.6
18
42
Support
32.4
42.3
67.9
15.4
37
42
Technology
51.0
47.3
73.2
5.4
19
42
Partnership
45.1
36.8
73.7
12.4
11
42
Transitions
68.2
56.4
75.2
19.4
8
42
12
ISAS Results
Regis University School
Professional Studies vs. Best
Yourfor
Institution
Performances
in Each
Category
vs Best
Performances
in each
Category
90
80.6
77.8
80
70
68.2
67.9
66.6
65.4
75.2
73.7
73.2
72.3
60
53.7
50
49.0
51.0
47.2
46.6
45.1
44.1
40
32.4
30
20
10
0
Outreach
Life/Career
Planning
Finance
Assessment
Teaching/Learning
Process
Support
Technology
Partnership
Transitions
Your Institution CTC ALFI Principle
Best Performer in Category
13
ALI SUMMARY REPORT [Performance Gaps]
Your Institution
ALFI Principle
Your
Mean
Highest
Lowest
Rank
Number of
Gap
Gap
Gap
Gap
Order
Institutions
Outreach
14.4
13.2
25.6
4.9
28
42
Life/Career Planning
17.6
18.6
28.6
7.0
15
42
Finance
15.0
15.2
32.4
6.0
19
42
Assessment
11.4
11.2
18.3
5.1
24
42
Teaching and Learning Process
10.3
9.7
16.0
4.3
26
42
Support
16.1
13.2
25.4
5.6
36
42
Technology
12.0
10.8
24.0
3.4
28
42
Transitions
14.9
14.6
24.7
6.3
26
42
14
Combined Results
Your Institution
100
92.9
92.0
91.7
90.3
90
80.0
78.4
80
76.7
74.4
90.3
89.9
88.9
86.6
77.9
75.1
75.4
72.7
68.2
70
60
53.7
50
51.0
49.0
47.2
46.6
44.1
40
32.4
30
20
10
0
Outreach
Life/Career Planning
Your Institution ISAS Mean
Finance
Assessment
Teaching/Learning
Process
Support
Technology
Transitions
Your institution’s Importance Mean
ALFI Principle
Test
Test
15
Uses of ALFI Data
 Use strengths as positive feedback on campus
• Share with faculty, staff, and students
 Use with admissions and recruiting materials
 Incorporate results in internal and external public relations
plans
 Use departments that are doing well as models
16
Uses of ALFI Data




Preparation for accreditation review
Internal program review
Development of strategic plans
Aligning resources to best meet the needs of adult
learners
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Challenges
 Attempt to respond to no more than 3-5 for any given
academic year
• ALFI data help set priorities
 Determine some activities that are campuswide and
those that may be specific to departments on campus
 Inform the campus of the plan and actively work the
plan
 Inform the campus when changes have been made
18
Using the Results -- Examples
Cost-Free/Low-Cost Strategies
 Redesign student orientation sessions
 Create student mentor program to help new
students
 Form an Adult Learner committee
 Initiate mandatory advising training for
faculty; online tools to update information
19
Using the Results -- Examples
Cost-Free/Low-Cost Strategies




Include data in annual report
Facilitate discussion & debate
Convene student focus groups
Use data as baseline for future
assessments
20
Some Strategies for Helping Adults
 Articulation agreements with two-year
institutions
 Prior Learning Assessment policies and
practices
 Flexible academic programs
 Flexible payment options
21
Some Strategies for Helping Adults
 Dedicated advising and retention staff
 Updated, welcoming Web site
 A non-credit program to help adults
transition to college
 Initiate orientation sessions
22
Oklahoma Examples
Questions for You
What has your campus done to attract,
retain, and graduate adult learners?
• How do these efforts address the nine essential
principles of serving adult learners?
23