CLEP and STEM: Acronyms for Student Success. Kent Seaver Director of Learning Resources North Lake College

Transcription

1 CLEP and STEM: Acronyms for Student Success Kent Seaver Director of Learning Resources North Lake College

2 Prior Learning Defined Knowledge learned through independent study, onthe job training, or experiential learning and Knowledge learned through independent study, on-the job translates that learning into college credit that is training, or experiential learning and translates that learning commonly into college recognized. credit that is commonly recognized. Underlying premise of prior learning is college level learning can occur outside traditional classroom. Underlying premise of prior learning is college level learning can occur outside traditional classroom.

3 What EXACTLY Is Prior Learning? Prior learning isn t just giving students credit for life experience. Colleges that choose to offer the credit measure what students know, review how that corresponds with Knowledge learned through independent study, on-the job courses they are required to take and determine training, or experiential learning and translates that whether learning into their college knowledge credit that merits is commonly college recognized. credit. Underlying premise of prior learning is college level learning can occur Trish outside Paterson, traditional classroom. Executive Director for College Access Initiatives University System of Georgia

4 Prior Learning Assessments

5 Military Coursework

6 Military Coursework/Experience Military Experience-Allergy Clinician Civilian Skill-Aseptic and Sterilization Techniques Infectious Diseases (Doctor/Physician) Medication Administration (Doctor/Physician) Patient Assessment (Doctor/Physician) Patient Care (Doctor/Physician) Treatment Evaluation (Doctor/Physician) Treatment Planning (Doctor/Physician) Source: Military.com Veteran Employment Center

7 Portfolios Narrative describing a specific training. Written in the first person detailing experience and why college level credit should be granted. Usually contains 5 or more pieces of documentation detailing experience. The student must demonstrate a 70 % (C) mastery to receive credit. The portfolio is graded on a credit/no credit basis and does not affect the student s grade point.

8 What Is CLEP? Over 1,900 colleges administer CLEP exams. 185,740 exams administered in , including 59,890 administered to military service members. Exam fee = $80.00 (Colleges charge administrative fees that will vary to administer CLEP).

9 33 CLEP Examinations History and Social Sciences American Government History of the United States I History of the United States II Human Growth and Development Introduction to Educational Psychology Principles of Macroeconomics Principles of Microeconomics Introductory Psychology Introductory Sociology Social Sciences and History Western Civilization I Western Civilization II Business Information Systems and Computer Applications Principles of Management Financial Accounting Introductory Business Law Principles of Marketing Composition and Literature American Literature Analyzing and Interpreting Literature College Composition College Composition Modular English Literature Humanities Science and Mathematics Calculus College Algebra Precalculus College Mathematics Biology Chemistry Natural Sciences Foreign Languages French Language German Language Spanish Language

10 CLEP Test Development The CLEP exam process is a solid academic and research validated approach to ensure that individuals have grasped the basic concepts of a specific subject matter. The exams are developed in concert with content experts and the questions are tested, vetted and reviewed throughout the development process to ensure validity and reliability, as well as to ensure coverage of the entire scope of the specific subject matter being tested. Jeffrey Lineman, Ph.D. Professor of Management Northwest Nazarene Univ. Professor Northwest

11 CLEP Services for Students and Colleges CLEP website for professionals: Information on test development, administering CLEP exams, advising students, self-paced CLEP 101 tutorials CLEP website for students: Exam descriptions, test prep information, test center search, transcript request forms Order form for free publications for students:

12 Recent Research Validates PLA CAEL/Lumina Study (March 2010) : Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success Study of 48 institutions about prior learning assessment ( ; 25 and above) Persistence: Completed 80 or more credits within 7 years PLA Student: 56% Non-PLA Student: 22% Time to degree (PLA vs. Non-PLA) Bachelor s Degree: Saved 2.5 to 10.1 months to attain degree Assoc. Degree: Saved 1.5 to 4.5 months to attain degree Degree Attainment within 7 years PLA Student: 56% (43% Bachelors; 13% Assoc.) Non-PLA Student: 21% (15% Bachelors; 6% Assoc)

13 PLA & Your Institution Prior Learning is an important recruitment tool for our institution. When students hear that we give credit for PLA exams, they are interested in exploring studying here. Elinor Azenberg Director, Reentry Programs New York University

14 PLA & Your Institution CLEP/DSST as a Recruiting Tool Test Center s can bring in examinees who are not currently students at your institution. By providing them with an opportunity to get to know your campus and your staff on a personal, helpful level, you are reaching out to them. According to a recent survey of CLEP candidates, 62% of students not currently enrolled say that the CLEP policies of the institutions they were considering would affect their decision to enroll.

15 Become Aware of PLA Where campus policies and practices to assist nontraditional students do exist, those individuals who serve this population are largely unaware of them. If campus policies and practices policies supportive of nontraditional students, including awarding credit via Prior Learning, were known to staff and students, this would no doubt serve to increase nontraditional students retention and academic success. AACRO-SEM Newsletter, January 2012

16 Who Takes CLEP?

17 CLEP and the Military

18 CLEP and the Military "I m a huge proponent of Prior Learning, in fact I CLEP ed my freshman year of college. I encourage all incoming veterans to consider taking CLEP exams to their arrival at UK. Especially if they have not left active duty, as the exams are at no cost to them. CLEPcan allow these nontraditional students to enter college a little better prepared and not as far behind their traditional student peers. Anthony Dotson Veterans Resource Center Coordinator University of Kentucky

19 CLEP/DSST for Military Personnel Are available to eligible military personnel to assist them in meeting their educational goals. The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) funds CLEP exams for eligible military service members and eligible civilian employees.

20 CLEP/DSST for Military Personnel The U.S. Government funds CLEP exams (one attempt per title) for the following groups: Military personnel (active duty, reserve, National Guard): Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, National Guard(s), and their designated Reserves. Spouses and civilian employees of: Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Coast Guard (active and reserve). Department of Defense Acquisition Personnel

21 CLEP for Military Personnel The College Board and DANTES have launched a program with college test centers where eligible first time test takers will have their exam fee funded by DANTES AND the administrative fee will be waived. If the test center is fully funded, "Fully Funded Yes" will appear in the test center description, along contact information

22 CLEP for Military Personnel Veterans can receive reimbursement for CLEP exams and exam administration by completing & submitting the Application for Reimbursement of National Exam Fee Form ( ARE.pdf)

23 CLEP for Military Personnel

24 Highest Volume CLEP Exams Exams Administered to Military Candidates,

25 Average Test per Student = 1.47 Exams Administered to Military Candidates,

26 Hispanics Serving Their Country As of the beginning of 2013, Hispanics comprise 11.4 percent of the active-duty military forces (more than 157,000 people). In 2011, 16.9 percent of all new recruits were Hispanic, representing a 3% increase since 2005.

27 Hispanics Serving Their Country 3 Basic Reasons Hispanics Join the Military Lack of opportunities to pursue other careers since education is being priced out for many working class people Tradition of military service in many families The appealing masculinity attached to serving

28 Hispanics Serving Their Country The discipline that you acquire in the Armed Forces helps you in your everyday life for the rest of your life.

29 Hispanics Serving Their Country Before I retired I said to myself, well I speak Spanish, I should take the CLEP in Spanish He received 12 credits for successfully passing a CLEP Spanish exam in the Summer of 2012 (and an additional 13 credits from Miami Dade College as part of his Prior Learning Assessment in the area of Photography).

30 Hispanics Serving Their Country With credit in hand, he enrolled at Berry College as a sophomore with 25 credits and $12,000 in savings, thanks to CLEP. Berry took me basically as a second year transfer student with 25 credits. It basically saved me a year of education.

31 Spanish CLEP and Retention: A Case Study In the Fall of 2011: 54 students tested 47 entered college (87%) Number of first time in College degree seeking students in Fall 2011: (1196)

32 Spanish CLEP and Retention: A Case Study Fall 2013: CLEP students retained: 43 (92%) By contrast, the retention percentage of those 1196 students was roughly 58% CLEP NLC

33 Spanish CLEP and Retention: A Case Study CLEP student GPA NLC Student GPA CLEP NLC

34 CLEP for Military Personnel

35 PLA Benefits Hispanic Students Hispanic PLA students earn bachelor s degrees at a rate that was almost eight times higher than that of Hispanic non-pla students; the most dramatic increase for racial/ethnic group breakdown. *Council for Adult and Experimental Learning, April, 2011

36 Why the Military? According to the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, preparation is a key ingredient to solving the problem of continued career shortages, particularly those in STEM. The Non-Traditional Emerging Workforce (i.e. returning Vets) are technically trained and can benefit from additional STEM training through degrees, certificates, and later the workforce.

37 Military and STEM Colleges and universities offering STEM education could model their programs after the military. For example, a Navy veteran who served as a computer network technician for the Aegis naval weapons system will have the following credit recommendations on his or her official transcript: Three semester hours in electronic systems operation and maintenance One semester hour in electronic systems maintenance laboratory Three semester hours in network fundamentals Three semester hours in UNIX system administration

38 Military and STEM Partnerships need to be developed among institutions of higher education, relevant federal agencies, workforce development organizations, relevant associations and foundations, and other key stakeholders to explore military STEM occupations Meg Mitcham Director, Veterans Programs American Council on Education June, 2013

39 Vets to the Valley Initiative The number of new scientists and engineers graduating from U.S. universities is significantly declining. The coinciding of the current shortage of scientists and engineers in the U.S. and the flux of technically-trained departing servicemen out of the military offers an important opportunity for the Tennessee Valley Corridor.

40 Vets to the Valley Initiative Due to their maturity, technical training, and hands-on experiences, these individuals separating from the military in the next five years provide an excellent nearterm source of potential engineers for the country.

41 Vets to the Valley Initiative Benefits to Federal Agencies and Private Sector Companies: Access to experienced, skilled workers with active security clearances. Recruiting support through military transition offices that work with military personnel leaving the service. Opportunity to grow their pool of experienced engineers from a non-traditional population, thus increasing the overall number of scientists and engineers in the region. A contractual relationship and service agreement with participants who accept the terms of the NEW-STEM program.

42 Veterans in Advanced Manufacturing Partnership between Drexel University and 5 surrounding Community Colleges in the Philadelphia area. Designed a program that would allow for easy access to education and training options and to create opportunities for veterans to be employed in our regional economy. Lead to increased Student Veteran enrollment. Created pilot program training in a number of fields that include composite fabrication training for the rotorcraft industry, PV solar technology, welding for shipbuilding and repair, and fiber optic training for engineering.

43 Project Per-sist! University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), San Antonio Students may earn up to 30 hours in combination with portfolio and testing, to reduce the amount of time it takes them to earn a degree. Focus is English and Mathematics In conjunction with UIW Center of Excellence for Veterans Affairs

44 Military and STEM The Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) is working with wounded warriors and veterans to bring them aboard and help them develop a desire to further their education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ACOE has asked wounded warriors that are interested to come into their ranks. Some are serving in intern programs, while they wait to transition This group gains skills that are easily transferable, and then they go into STEM-related areas based on that experience.

45 CLEP and Retention: What We Know Students who earn college credit via CLEP are more likely to: Persist through college, which creates higher retention rates for your school Have higher GPA s when they graduate or transfer

46 Marching Forward Kent Seaver Director of Learning Resources, North Lake College

47 Marching Forward Questions?