Final Regulations (Almost)

For those who might have missed the news, on October 28, 2010, the Feds released some of the final regulations concerning higher education institutions.  You need to catch up by reading Inside HigherEd (Almost) Final Rules.  Also, review the Federal Regulations:

1. Program Integrity Issues
2. Gainful Employment

Start looking at your programs in light of the new regulations and mark your calendar for August 4, 5, & 6, 2011 to join CAP in Denver, Colorado for a conversation about these issues.

Quicker Degrees

A really good article to read is A Federal Impediment to Quicker Degrees by Senator Lamar Alexander. We have known for years that there were financial aid issues for the adult population.  Now quicker degrees are in the news.   University Business Magazine new issue has a featured article entitled Three to Degree.  CAP is mentioned in this article as a resource.    Remember we have to get the word out that accelerated programs have been working with shorter time frames for over 40 years. 

Accelerated Programs in the News

Others are beginning to see that learning formats can be changed and held to the same learning outcomes.   Thank you to Melissa Ezarik for investigating and writing an article about shortened time for a degree!  I recommend reading "Three to Degree" in the September 2010 University Business magazine. More universities are looking at shortened time frames for degrees and less time in the classroom.  The programs highlighted in this article are not necessarily focused on the adult student, but on college students who are focused and don't need that exploratory time to find a degree match. There is more support of innovation in higher education!

Mark your Calendars

The week of September 27th, NBC News  is presenting a series on "Education Nation"  examining and redefining education in the U.S.  "NBC programs including “Nightly News,” “Today” and “Meet the Press,” as well as offerings on MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo, will include “[s]pecial news coverage and programming airing across all NBC News programs and platforms will extend beyond the two-day summit,” the company said in its initial press release." (InsideHigherEducation). 

Looking for Volunteers

CAP is Looking for Volunteers.
I hope this message finds you doing well.  I know the August push has arrived and hopefully the enrollments at your institution are up.  Please take a moment to breathe and read this short message.

We had a dynamic CAP Annual Conference on July 21 - 23, 2010 in Denver, Colorado, hosted by Metropolitan State College of Denver. We developed new energy and enthusiasm for our jobs and for the accelerated program delivery model.  We also discussed the viability of CAP, which I am happy to say is a thriving organization.  The Executive Board and Jeannie McCarron have done an excellent job this past year trimming the budget and coming through with a balanced budget plan.  One of the initiatives the Executive Board is taking on this year is to connect with the membership.  We want to hear from every CAP member this year!  At our last Board meeting, we created a new position: Membership Connection. This sub-committee chairperson will coordinate our CAP volunteers. 

CAP volunteers?  What is that?  I am so glad you asked!!

If you are willing to volunteer one hour (60 minutes) a month (yes a month) to assist the CAP Membership Connection Team, then you are a CAP volunteer.  Please email Jeannie McCarron (jmcarro@regis.edu) right now to become a member of the team!  The Membership Connection Chair will have a list of the members of CAP and he/she will divide up that list among the volunteers and assign everyone five to ten people a month to contact via email or phone call.

Why would you contact a member in CAP?  Another great question!

As you might have heard (if you reading the Accelerated Program blog or the CAP Newsletter), then you would know that accelerated programs are being attacked from within and without.  For CAP to be a proactive organization and a voice for Accelerated Programs, we must hear what is happening to our members and their institutional programs.  Our Membership Connection Team members will chat with colleagues from another institution and ask how things are going.  Then, you will be asked to email who you contacted, any updated information (job titles, email, phone) and triumphs or challenges back to our Member Connection Team Chair who will make a monthly report to the Executive Board.   It is as easy as that!

CAP needs volunteers to spend one hour (60 minutes) a month talking with other CAP members.  Please join us in this endeavor to reach everyone in our organization this year!  Email Jeannie McCarron at jmccarro@regis.edu. right now!

Looking for Volunteers for just One Hour a Month!

The Scrutiny Continues

Please know that I am in NO WAY condoning bad behavior on the part of any institution (for profit, non profit, or public).  However, quality programs have the potential to be penalized because of the actions of others exposed for unethical practices.

The news continues in InsideHigherEd:
The August 9th article, Has the Conversation Changed, still has the for profit institutions in the news.  What I want to highlight is the attach on accreditors and the ideas of thinking the "entire orchard" is bad. 

"Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and other members of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voiced concerns about the GAO's findings and cornered the leader of a national accreditor, who insisted that his agency’s standards were “rigorous,” even though the accreditor had given approval to some of the campuses where the GAO found problems. (While it’s not an accreditor’s responsibility to hunt for fraud, some senators wondered how people examining the institutions could miss such seemingly endemic problems."

“Are we talking about a few bad apples or are we talking about the entire orchard being contaminated by a business model that churns students, that provokes the kind of recruitment and unethical conduct we saw in the GAO, because of a need to increase profits?” Harkin asked, rhetorically, at the hearing. His repeated use of "systemic” to describe the problems suggested that he is going after the whole orchard.

This view of higher education is upsetting for all educational professionals in the field.  All CAP institutions should be documenting their quality and writing their Senators and Congresspersons. Tell the the good side of the story.  It seems the "bad" is the only one being shared.

Definition of a Credit Hour

I hope everyone is reviewing daily the Department of Education new proposed language.  The Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 117 / Friday, June 18, 2010 / Proposed Rules has the new proposed language defining a credit hour.

The Department proposes to add to § 600.2 a definition of a credit hour that would measure credit hours in terms of the amount of time and work during which a student is engaged in academic activity using commonly accepted academic practice in higher education, and further would provide for institutionally established equivalencies as represented by learning outcomes and verified achievement.
(emphasis mine)

What all accelerated and online degree programs must do is fully articulate their learning outcomes for degree programs and verify the achievement by the students.  If the institution has a degree program that is face-to-face and one that is accelerated or online, then the learning outcomes must be the same and must demonstrate equivalent learning achievement by the students.  We must resist the pressure of our financial aid officers to give a number of hours of seat time or number of hours of online engagement.  Butt in seat does not equal learning. Credit hours should not be defined by time, but by learning achieved.  If you are asked by your financial aid officer to define a credit hour in time, send the financial aid officer to the above proposed language and then attach your assessment plan.  If any institution does not have an assessment plan for every degree program offered, they must develop them immediately.

This is the time to stand up for our programs and the learning that is achieved.  Those with accelerated and online degree programs know that this format reaches a population that would otherwise not be able to earn a college degree.  These adults are working full time and trying to improve themselves and the earning ability for their families.  I truly understand the issues with bad degree programs and diploma mills; however, the format is NOT the issue.  The leadership ethics at the institution might be closer to the issue. Thousands of adults earn a college degree every year because of the accelerated program format. This the workforce the Obama Administration is trying to educate.  Why would we jeopardize their careers by counting hours?  Learning is what is important here!

CAP Is a Vital Organization

I hope everyone made it home from the CAP 2010 conference safe and sound.  I will blog more on the conference in a couple of days.  I want to take this opportunity to comment on the vitality of the organization and the membership.  Within this organization, there are amazing people who are dedicated to accelerated programs in design and in practice at their home institutions.  I am so pleased to be Chair for the 2010-2011 year as we move our cycle around to an Annual Meeting in the Summers.

Mark your calendars now for the 2011 Conference on August 4, 5, & 6.

Also, I am pleased to announce that CAP is financially stable.  We are moving forward with plans to become an louder voice for Accelerated Programs in the U.S. Join the chorus!  Accelerated Programs are here to stay and grow. The Commission for Accelerated Programs is here to stay and grow!!

What an Incredible Conference

Okay, I intended to blog each day.  I guess I got too busy being Association Chairwoman.  I will add entries about the events.  Let me just say now that every plenary speaker was fabulous.  For those that had to leave early, you missed a dynamite session on accreditation.  If you are an HLC institution, you really must check out the changes that HLC is making to the accreditation process.  No longer will institutions be left alone for 10 years....more to come!

Remember from my speech.  Social media is only social if you participate.  I look forward to your comments!

CAP Annual Conference

Over the next three days, professionals from institutions who have degree programs for adult students in an accelerated or intensive format will gather in Denver, Colorado, at the campus of Metro State College of Denver. We are discussing how to develop accelerated programs, faculty development programs, marketing, admissions, academic advising, and accreditation issues. Stay tuned and I will add comments each day.

How Can We Help Students Complete Degrees?

While this article may not be of interest to some in the field of accelerated programs, I think it does help with our continuing dilemma of retention.  In this article, Exploring Emotional Intelligence, Learner Autonomy, and Retention in an Accelerated Undergraduate Degree Completion Program the researchers look at why some students in a degree completion program complete all the "gap" credits (as they refer to them).  In degree completion programs, students usually have to transfer into the institution a minimum number of credits to start a degree program.  Within that degree program, a set number of courses and credit hours (usually equaling to a major in undergraduate studies) are offered.  The number of semester credits in these undergraduate degree programs range from 30 to 36.  This leaves a number of credits around 20 or more that the student still need to fulfill to graduate.  Anyone who works in academic advising or student services understands sometimes it is quite difficult to get these students to engage and complete those last credits.  I once tracked a student for a year, calling her at least once a month about the one credit hour she needed to complete a bachelor's degree.  As the Director of Student Services, I tried all sorts of motivations to try to get her to enroll in ONE credit.  I honestly think she would have never finished the bachelor's degree if I hadn't made it my mission to not allow her to give up.


Buvoltz, Powell, Solan, and Longbotham (2008) investigate emotional intelligence and learner autonomy (self-directed behaviors).  They were looking at students' ability to stay engaged with learning, to persist to completion.   Something I think all accelerated programs could learn from this study and keep in mind as they market the program as well as through the academic advising stage is this one nugget: "an adult's persistence in autonomous learning related more to the anticipation of future rewards of present learning than the choice to engage in learning activities over non-learning activities"(p 38).  Thus when we are counseling our undergraduate adult students, it might be good to keep bringing the issues of future rewards (e.g., new job opportunities, better employment possibilities, or life fulfillment) rather than talking about the important place education should take in their lives at this moment.  Just food for thought!

Community Colleges Accelerating

Well, more community colleges are looking at picking up the pace for their programs.  This is a new article just released by InsideHigherEd on July 6, 2010. Community colleges are a great place for adult students who are looking for new skills to improve employment possibilities.   We have several community colleges in the Commission for Accelerated Programs membership.  With other community colleges beginning to look at a different delivery format, the four year institutions with accelerated programs have a great opportunity to partner with them and create 2+2 degree programs.  Remember the higher the education level a person achieves, the higher their income possibilities become.

If you haven't signed up for the CAP 2010 Annual Conference, this might be a good time to learn more about the how this organization can help your institution create accelerated programs.

News Items

For all that are in the Middle States Accrediting Association if you are not in the loop with this information, you might want to follow it.  Perhaps there is something you could do from your institution to assist with the matter.

Another accreditation agency is also in the news, the Higher Learning Commission.  If you have not heard, they have recently made some changes to their accreditation process.

At the Annual Conference in July, we have a panel discussion scheduled concerning changes and processes with accreditation agencies.  These two associations will be addressed by consultant evaluators.  If you haven't signed up yet to attend, I encourage you to do so.  Go to the CAP Network Website and click on the 2010 CAP Conference brochure.  I hope to see you there!

Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements

The Center on Education and Workforce released a report Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018.  If you are looking for new degree programs to grow in your area, I recommend investigating this report.  You might even be able to use it in your marketing material.  Here is just a sample that I found interesting:

"Sales occupations will provide 6.3 million total job openings between 2008 and 2018: 1.7 million net new jobs and 4.6 million openings from retirements. Some 4.2 million of these new and replacement jobs will require some college education or more. The largest proportion of workers hired for these positions (29 percent) will require a Bachelor’s degree." p. 30

We certainly need to help adults transition to new jobs and align our curriculum to help them gain the skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow.  I still believe that accelerated programs are the answer to the need in the United States to ramp up the education level of our workforce.

Carnegie Unit Once Again

Hopefully, you are following the latest Higher Education News. The government is once again trying to mandate the definition of a credit hour. Inside Higher Education reported on June 16, 2010 that the new proposed definition:

• a credit hour as "one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit," or equivalent amounts of actual instruction for quarters or other time periods.

Why are we back to the archaic method of measuring learning and education by "butt in seat time"? Numerous reports have proven that different delivery formats are actually better or equivalent to creating the learning necessary.

To their benefit, the also included an alternative definition:

• a credit hour "[i]nstitutionally established reasonable equivalencies for the amount of work required in [the previous definition] for the credit hours awarded, including as represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement."

Why doesn't the committee look at their own Department of Education report: Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies. They reported on page xiv: "Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction." Face-to-face time with an instructor is not the answer to providing a quality education.

Institutions with online and accelerated programs need to watching carefully this development (that would be practically every higher education institution in the United States). When will we let the professional educators determine learning? Although an alternative definition was given, I am still not convinced the accreditation agencies won't succumb to the pressure and demand that institutions count "butt in seat time" and we will be back to letting the "bean counters" tell professional educators how to really do their jobs.

What information do you have available to help your students online?

Recently, I was researching and preparing for a presentation on retention. As I was exploring different topics and thoughts, I stumbled onto a website, Study Guides and Strategies. As I am also launching an online program this summer, it got me thinking about what do we have available to support adult students. How could they possibility understand the higher education culture, when I often have difficulty understanding it and I have been in the field for at least 25 years? My question to the accelerated programs is do we, as professionals in the field of education, assist our students in understanding how they learn and the important aspects of the college/university or do we think they will just learn it somewhere along the way? Do we leave it up to others, such as the website above, to create information for our adult students? If so, why do we do that? Just some thoughts as you look at your own institutions website and services to adult students in a face-to-face or online environment.

Excellence in Teaching Award

Each year at the annual conference CAP recognizes outstanding instructors from our member institutions. Many times part-time and full-time instructors in accelerated programs are overlooked for institutional awards, because of the way the criteria is written. I encourage you to take the time to nominate one of your outstanding instructors. These people love to teach, are passionate about the topics, their students, and their institutions. It is so encouraging and heart-warming to all CAP members to see the quality of programs and instructors at our sister institutions.

Nature and Recognition of the Award:
Each year up to three faculty from CAP member institutions will be recognized for excellence in the facilitation of learning in an accelerated program. The award recipients will receive a complimentary pass* to the 2010 CAP conference July 22-23 in Denver, and will be honored and given their awards during the CAP Business Meeting. Award recipients will also be encouraged to attend the annual conference in order to participate as a panelists and/or roundtable facilitator. The recipients will be asked to supply CAP with a color picture, preferably in electronic format. (*Please note that CAP cannot reimburse award recipients’ travel expenses, but will waive the conference registration fee for each recipient.)

Criteria for Selection:
CAP institutions may nominate one faculty member each year. If more than one nomination is received from an institution, the institutional members submitting the nominations will be contacted. CAP will request that the institution narrow their nominations to one. Nominees should demonstrate outstanding teaching in accelerated programs. Full-time or adjunct faculty members are eligible for nomination, but they must teach in an accelerated program. A variety of measures should be used to select the nominee, including:

• The quantitative and qualitative information provided by student evaluations;
• Evidence demonstrating how the faculty member relates to students as persons, encourages students as learners, challenges students to reach their maximum performance, makes the learning relevant and meaningful to the students, and gives constructive and timely feedback on assignments;
• Peer observations and reviews, anecdotal documentation of contributions to faculty meetings, curriculum development, facilitation of faculty development workshops, and community service;
• Evidence of outstanding and effective classroom facilitation, learning techniques, and accomplishments and contributions to the institution;
• Evidence of demonstrating academic excellence and contributions to the wider academic community.

Submission Guidelines:
Each CAP institution may nominate one faculty member. Therefore, CAP members from the same institution should collaborate on their nominations. A completed application will include:

1. The CAP ‘Excellence in Teaching’ Nomination Form completed in full (attached, and also available on the CAP Network Website at www.capnetwork.org).
2. A typed overview of the nominee’s accomplishments and contributions to the program.
3. A copy of the nominee’s resume or curriculum vitae.
4. Additional documentation could include, but is not limited to:
• Copies of end-of-course surveys;
• Peer review reports;
• Video tape of classroom teaching (no longer than 30 minutes);
• Evaluations (quantitative and qualitative) of faculty development workshops conducted;
• Institutional reports of excellence in curriculum development;
• Comments from students, other faculty members, program staff, or the institutional administration about the instructor’s teaching style and contributions to the institution;
• Scholarly articles published or other contributions to the wider academic community.

Awards Committee:
All submissions will be reviewed by the Awards Committee, which includes one member of the CAP Board and two other members who serve on one of the standing subcommittees. If a nomination is received from an institution represented on the Awards Committee, the Awards Committee member will recuse him/herself from the selection process.

Selection Procedure:
All nominations and supporting documentation must be received by Monday, April 12^th (Instructions and mailing information are noted on the Nomination Form). Because of the change of date of our annual conference from November to July this year, we will be asking for an unusually fast turn-around time once the information arrives at your institution. We want to allow enough time for winners to make their travel arrangements. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in helping one of your faculty to be 'appreciated' for this honor if so chosen.

Nomination materials will be forwarded to the Awards Committee who shall review the nominations and recommend to the CAP Board their selections. The final decision to present these awards rests with the CAP Board.

Notification of Selection:
Awardees will be notified by Friday, April 30^th by a member of the CAP Board.

We hope you take this opportunity to nominate an outstanding educator in your accelerated program. Our faculty deserve to be recognized for their dedication to adult and nontraditional learners.

SAVE THE DATE

2010 CAP Conference, Denver

IMPLEMENTING BEST PRACTICES IN ACCELERATED LEARNING

July 22-23, 2010

A Full 2-Day Conference!

Metropolitan State College of Denver

Themes include:

* Marketing Accelerated Programs
* Prior Learning Assessment
* O­nline Affordable Textbook Solutions
* Preparing for Accreditation

CAP will also offer two Pre-Conference Workshops:

1) Faculty Development in Accelerated Programs
July 21, 2010 (full-day workshop)
Metropolitan State College of Denver

2) Accelerated Programs 101 (for those newer to accelerated learning)
July 21, 2010 (1/2 day workshop)
Metropolitan State College of Denver


2010 CAP Conference Fees:

CAP Pre-Conference AP101 $ 95.00 (Member) $149.00 (Non-member)

CAP Pre-Conference – Faculty Development
$175.00 (Member) $230.00 (Non-member)

CAP Conference $395.00 (Member) $700.00 (Non-member)

Attending CAP Conference + AP101 $450.00 (Member) $750.00 (Non-member)

Attending CAP Conference + Faculty Development
$515.00 (Member) $800.00 (Non-member)

Hotel Information:

The CURTIS Hotel

1405 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80202

1-800-525-6651

www.thecurtis.com

Rate: $139/Night

Additional Information will be available on the CAP Network Website (www.capnetwork.org) by April 1st, 2010.

Questions?
For questions or additional information, please contact Jeannie McCarron at (303)964-5253 or jmccarro@regis.edu.

What's New with Accelerated Programs

Accelerated programs in higher education seem to still be plagued by unbelievers. With accreditation agencies measuring higher education quality on learning outcomes, it seems puzzling to me that we are concerned about seat time. The next generation of learners (millennials) have embraced the concept of learning anywhere at anytime. We in the ivory towers of higher education must get ready for new learning methods. Pew Research Center just published a report, "Social Media and Mobile Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults." They reported that 83% of adults own a cell phone, Blackberry, or iPhone. These devices only assist us in finding information anywhere, anytime. In addition, those under the age of 30 are more likely to own a laptop or netbook than a desktop computer. Another convenience for anytime, anywhere learning. What are you doing in your in higher education accelerated program to incorporate anytime, anywhere learning?

Highlight a Program

The Commission of Accelerated Programs is a resource for higher education institutions concerning definitions and best practices. When I say "accelerated program," many people look at me in bewilderment. Raymond Wlodkowski (2003) defined accelerated learning programs as a structure for students to take less time than conventional (traditional, sometimes referred to as "Carnegie Hours") programs to attain university credits, certificates, or degrees. However, these programs hold to high standard of learning. They are designed to help the adult population who have fulltime jobs, yet need to further their education in order to obtain higher wage employment or personal fulfillment. These working adults cannot afford to quit their jobs in order to attend a higher education institution during the day, nor can they "afford" to take 10 years to complete a degree. Adult learners must have flexibility, convenience, and a quick way to earn a quality degree. The State of Louisiana recognized that issue and put together "A Center for Adult Learning in Louisiana". I recommend reading their booklet: "CALL: Investing in Louisiana's Adult Learners."
Perhaps, you will be inspired or you might gain an idea you can apply to your institution.

Wlodkowski, R. & Kasworm, C. (Eds.) (2003). Accelerated learning for adults: The promise and practice of intensive educational formats. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 97. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Accelerated Programs Highlighted by Lumina

Accelerated programs at community colleges and credit for prior learning are both being highlighted by Lumina to help displaced workers in the U.S. We need to be assisting our community college associates who do not have accelerated programs in developing them. We have the expertise to share.

Read more at Fostering Economic Recovery through Postsecondary Education.