This document discusses the increasing demand for credit earned through nontraditional courses and learning programs. It notes that the number of non-traditional students is growing, students are more mobile between institutions, and trends in higher education supply and demand are putting pressure on completion rates. As a result, there is demand for alternative credit options like exams, portfolios, online courses, and internships to help students complete their credentials more quickly and at a lower cost. The benefits and challenges of different alternative credit programs are reviewed. Institutions must evaluate which options fit their mission and priorities while considering student experience, outcomes, and quality.

1. Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
Todd Bloom, Ph.D.
Chief Academic Officer
Hobsons
November 12, 2013

2. Welcome & Overview
Introductions
The demand for credit earned through
nontraditional courses & learning programs
Features of nontraditional credit programs
Benefits of each program type
Evaluation of options based on institutional needs
and student outcomes
2

3. Demand for credit earned through
nontraditional courses & learning
programs

4. Why the demand for alternative
credit?
Increase in number of non-traditional students
Greater student mobility
Trends in supply and demand in higher
education
Completion agenda
Credit issues for students
4

5. Credit Demand: Non-Traditional
Students the Norm
21.6 million
undergrads in U.S.
higher ed today.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2013).
Projections of Education Statistics to 2021. Washington
DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
38% enroll part-time
National Center for Education Statistics. (2013). Projections
of Education Statistics to 2021. Washington DC: National
Center for Education Statistics.
5
20% work full-time
U.S. Census Bureau. (2012). School Enrollment and
Work Status: 2011. Washington, DC: Census Bureau.
38% graduate from 4 year
institutions in 4 years
National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). Digest of Education Statistics
2011. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

6. Credit Demand: Student Mobility
1
/3
of all students change
institutions at least once
before earning a degree
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. (2012). Transfer & Mobility: A National View of Pre-Degree Student
Movement in Postsecondary Institutions. Herndon, VA: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
6

7. Credit Demand: Student Mobility
Transfer out rates at 2- and 4-year Title IV institutions:
Cohort years
Public
Private notfor-profit
Private forprofit
2003 & 2006
10.3%
13.9%
4.6%
0.7%
2002 & 2005
11.1%
14.6%
4.8%
0.9%
2001 & 2004
10.9%
14.7%
4.7%
0.6%
2000 & 2003
10.4%
14.1%
4.4%
0.9%
1999 & 2002
7
Total
10.0%
13.4%
4.2%
1.5%
IPEDS data

8. Credit Demand: Student Mobility
Transfer out rates at 2- and 4-year Title IV institutions:
Total
Private not- Private
for-profit
for-profit
4-yr institutions (cohort
yr 2003)
8.4%
11.3%
4.5%
1.0%
2-yr institutions (cohort
yr 2006)
13.4%
17.6%
9.1%
0.6%
Men – total (cohort years 11.0%
2003 & 2006)
14.3%
5.1%
0.8%
Women – total (cohort
years 2003 & 2006)
8
Public
13.6%
4.2%
0.7%
9.7%
IPEDS data

9. Credit Demand: Student Mobility
37% transfer in second year (most common
year)
22% transfer as late as fourth or fifth years
27% transfer to different state
43% transfer into a public two-year college
(most popular destination)
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. (2012). Transfer & Mobility: A National View of Pre-Degree Student
Movement in Postsecondary Institutions. Herndon, VA: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
9

10. Credit Demand: Trends in HE
Supply & Demand
10
http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pd
fs/undereducatedamerican.pdf

11. Credit Demand: Completion
Agenda
Looking ahead to 2020:
55 million job openings through 2020
- 35% require Bachelor’s+
- 30% require some college – Associate’s
- 36% require no HE
Occupations most in demand (all require HE):
- STEM
- Healthcare professions
- Healthcare support
- Community services
http://cew.georgetown.edu/recovery2020/
11

12. Credit Demand: Completion
Agenda
Percentage of students seeking a bachelor's degree at 4-year degree-granting institutions
who completed a bachelor's degree within 6 years: Starting cohort year 2005
80%
70%
60%
50%
Total
40%
Males
Females
30%
20%
10%
0%
All Institutions
12
Public
Private Nonprofit
Private For-Profit
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cva.asp

13. Credit Demand: Completion
Agenda
Percentage of students seeking a certificate or degree at 2-year degree-granting institutions
who completed a credential within 150 percent of the normal time required to do so: Starting
cohort year 2008
70%
60%
50%
40%
Total
Males
Females
30%
20%
10%
0%
All Institutions
13
Public
Private
Nonprofit
Private ForProfit
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cva.asp

14. Credit Demand: Credit Issues for
Students
Extra Credits:
Certificate programs
- Should take 30 credits
- Students take 63.5 credits
Associate programs
- Should take 60 credits
- Students take 79 credits
Bachelor’s programs
- Should take 120 credits
- Students take 136.5 credits
14
Complete College America. (2011). Time is the Enemy. Washington DC: Complete College America.
Retrieved from http://www.completecollege.org/docs/Time_Is_the_Enemy.pdf.

15. Credit Demand: Credit Issues for
Students
Extra Time to Credentials:
Certificate programs
- Should take 1 year
- Full-time students take 3.3 years; Part-time 4.4 years
Associate programs
- Should take 2 years
- Full-time students take 3.8 years; Part-time 5 years
Bachelor’s programs
- Should take 4 years
- Full-time students take 4.7 years; Part-time 5.6 years
15
Complete College America. (2011). Time is the Enemy. Washington DC: Complete College America.
Retrieved from http://www.completecollege.org/docs/Time_Is_the_Enemy.pdf.

16. Features of nontraditional credit
programs

17. Alternative Credit Programs
Types of Programs:
Examinations & Assessments
Portfolios
Online courses
Internships
17

18. Alternative Credit Programs:
Exams & Assessments
ACE Credit:
American Council on Education
program started in 1974
Helps adults receive academic
credit for courses and exams taken
outside traditional degree program
Seeks to create partnerships
between higher education institution
and employers/training providers
http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/College-Credit-Recommendation-Service-CREDIT.aspx
18

19. Alternative Credit Programs:
Exams & Assessments
College Level Examination Program
(CLEP):
College Board program has existed
40+ years
Tests students’ mastery of collegelevel material
Taken by working adults, traditional
students currently enrolled, members
of the military, etc.
$80 per exam
19
https://clep.collegeboard.org/

20. Alternative Credit Programs:
Exams & Assessments
DSST:
Started in 1974, offering academic
testing for military service members
Expanded in 2006 to include anyone
wanting to earn college credit
outside the traditional classroom
Includes upper- and lower-level
courses
$80 per exam
http://getcollegecredit.com/
20

21. Alternative Credit Programs:
Exams & Assessments
Uexcel:
Partnership of Excelsior College
and Pearson VUE
Used for earning college
credit, advanced placement, and
for professional
licensure/certification
$95 per exam
http://www2.acenet.edu/credit/?fuseaction=browse.getOrganizationDetail&FICE=1006302
21

22. Alternative Credit Programs:
Exams & Assessments
Western Governors University:
Online, competency-based degree
programs
Students progress through
assessments as they master the
content (in class, prior learning/work
experience, or self-study)
Students pay for time (flat 6 month
rate) rather than credit hours
http://www.wgu.edu/why_WGU/competency_based_approach
22

23. Alternative Credit Programs:
Portfolios
Council for Adult and Experiential
Learning’s LearningCounts.org:
Portfolio development and
assessment
Brings together all forms of prior
learning assessment and
determines best path to degree
Portfolio assessment up to 12
credits is $250
http://www.learningcounts.org/
23

24. Alternative Credit Programs:
Online Courses
24
Massive Online Open Courses
(MOOCs):
ACE has endorsed some MOOCs for
credit
Students use MOOCs to prepare for
CLEP and other exams to earn
credits inexpensively
MOOC2Degree institutions use free
credit as recruitment tool—students
who complete the course and enroll
in the university receive credit

25. Alternative Credit Programs
Internships:
Work experience with a strong
academic component
Opportunity to develop
professional network
According to best
practices, coordinated closely at
campus and at work site
25

26. Benefits of each program type

27. Exams & Assessments
Benefits:
Faster time to degree
Lower cost than traditional classes
Credit for objective measure of
knowledge and ability to apply it
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/highereducation/news/2012/06/08/11725/the-opportunities-and-challenges-ofcompetency-based-education/
27

28. Portfolios
Benefits:
CAEL found that graduation rates
are two and a half times higher for
students with PLA credit
Higher persistence rates
Faster time to degree completion
Cost savings
http://www.cael.org/pla.htm
28

29. Online Courses
Benefits:
Flexibility (anywhere, anytime)
Potential cost savings
Increase availability of popular
courses
MOOCs in particular…
- Test out particular subject or idea of
29
college without financial commitment
Potential to support developmental
education

30. Alternative Credit Programs
Benefits:
Practical application of coursework
Work experience
Building professional networks
Create partnerships between
higher ed institution and
businesses
30

31. Evaluation of options based on
institutional needs & student
outcomes

32. Alternative credit programs
have challenges…
CONSISTENT, HIGH
STANDARDS
CREDIT TRANSFER
COMPLETION
RATES OF MOOCs
MISSED CLASSROOM
EXPERIENCES
…and many more depending on the student and institution
32

33. Assessing Alternative Credit
Programs
What do you think?
Please discuss in small groups:
What are the challenges presented by these
programs? Consider
Institutional mission and priorities
Student academic experience
Student outcomes
Measures of quality
Return on investment
33

34. Assessing Alternative Credit
Programs
What challenges are most important to
address before considering implementation?
Please discuss in small groups:
Prioritize the challenges, identifying the top
three to report back to the whole group.
34

35. Assessing Alternative Credit
Programs
Next steps at your institution
Please discuss in small groups:
Looking at the top challenges you identified, what
are next steps your institution should take in
evaluating/implementing alternative credit?
Consider
Policies
Practices
Stakeholder interests
35

36. Assessing Alternative Credit
Programs
Next steps at your institution
Please discuss in small groups:
Summarize your next steps and report back to
the whole group.
36

37. Thank You!
Todd Bloom
Chief Academic Officer
Hobsons
todd.bloom@hobsons.com
(952) 807-5345
@Todd_bloom