We are experiencing a national crisis in college completion rates, which will impact the quality of the workforce in the future. As the number of traditional-age college students declines, the need to reach non-traditional populations with college opportunities increases. A
new report released by the
National Center for Education Statistics indicates disappointing graduation rates for adults. At four-year colleges, the six-year graduation rate is only 20.4% for students aged 24-29 and 16.3% for those over 30. The report indicates that most adult students drop out within three years of starting college.
However, the CCCU Center for Research in Adult Learning is in the early stages of a retention benchmarking project that is indicating that adult graduation rates at Christian colleges are dramatically higher than at other schools. The average graduation rate for adult programs at eight CCCU schools is 71%. Christian colleges clearly play an important role in expanding access to quality higher education.
Upcoming CCCU Center for Research in Adult Learning events include:
- A teleconference is scheduled for January 5, featuring Dr. Cheryl Fleming on Grading Student Work: Promoting Learning through Valuable Feedback. Details are available on the C.R.A.L. website.
- Dr. Peter Stokes, executive vice president and chief research officer at Eduventures, will provide the keynote for the 3rd annual conference on Enhancing the Quality of Christ-Centered Adult Education on May 24-25, 2011, at Indiana Wesleyan University Indianapolis West Education Center. A preconference on May 23 will focus on Developing Quality Adjuncts. Visit the C.R.A.L. website for details or contact Executive Director Cynthia Tweedell.
The Center for Research in Adult Learning at Indiana Wesleyan University has begun its third year of activities. Fall highlights include:
- On October 20, a teleconference on Universal Design featuring Dr. Don Finn had participation from over 75 faculty representing 17 schools.
- Current research includes benchmarking projects on student learning outcomes, retention and spiritual formation.
- The Center is collecting examples of different approaches to structuring adult and online learning. Dr. Richard Ellis and Dr. Steve Holtrop are leading this project.