Charting a Course for Advising Adult Learners

1
Charting a Course for Advising Adult Learners

• Presenters
• Ricardo Ortegón, Ramapo College of New Jersey
• Tara Zurlo, Montclair State University

2
Presentation Overview

• University Overview / Office Structure
• Adult Learner Trends
• Adult Learning Program Overview
• Recruitment / Admission
• Orientation
• Advising structure
• Adult Academic Success Seminar
• Adult Learner support services
• Program statistics

3
Montclair State University

• 2nd largest university in New Jersey Public
• Located in northern New Jersey (NYC metropolitan
  area)
• Comprehensive w/ 5 Colleges/Schools
• 16,076 total enrollment
• 12,365 undergraduate students
• 3,711 graduate students

4
Fall 2006 Age Distribution -Undergraduate Degree
Seeking
5
Center for Academic Advising and Adult Learning
(CAAAL)

• CAAAL History
• CAAAL Staffing
• 3 Administrators
• Assistant Director for Adult Learning
• 5 Professional advisors
• 1 Technology Coordinator
• 1 Student Academic Success Coordinator
• 4 Customer Service Representatives

6
Students served by CAAAL

• Undeclared upper-classmen 1,200
• New transfer students 1,200
• Adult Learners (new returning) - 350
• 100 new admits for fall 2007
• Most academic action students - 220
• Transitional students (switching majors, adding
  minor, etc.) infinity

7
Adult Learner Trends

• Majority are female
• Majority are over 30 years of age and older
  about a third are 40 and older
• Well-educated Large majority has taken at least
  1 or 2 years of college courses
• Majority employed, either full time or part time
• Business, health professions, education, and
  computers are the most popular areas of degree
  study

Excerpted from Trends in Adult Learning A 2006
Snapshot AslanianGroup
8
Adult Learner Trends

• Prefer shorter semesters (typically 8 weeks)
• Majority study part-time one or two courses
• Prefer classes to meet two times per week
• Majority prefer to study on weekday evenings,
  500 pm or later, more than one-third prefer to
  study during the day-particularly mornings
• Majority want to travel less than 40 minutes to
  attend classes
• Colleges website is preferred way for gathering
  information

Excerpted from Trends in Adult Learning A 2006
Snapshot AslanianGroup
9
Services for Adult Learners

• Evening courses/programs
• Evening office hours
• Academic support services (evenings)
• Parking
• Daycare facilities
• Encouragement support!

10
Adult Learning Recruitment/Admissions

• Website (Admissions/CAAAL)
• Adult Transfer Student Open Houses
• Adult Learning Admission Information Sessions
• Word of Mouth

11
MSUs Adult Learning Website
12
Admission Requirements

• At least 25 years old
• Away from school for at least 2 years
• High school graduate or GED
• 2 letters of recommendation
• Admission Essay
• Official Transcripts

13
Admission Process

• Letter of Acceptance
• Directs students to website for next steps
• Adult Learning New Student Newsletter
• Online registration for orientation
• Participant requirements
• Adult Learner Orientation
• Adult Academic Success Seminar

14
New Student Newsletter
15
Adult Learning Orientation

• Acceptance packet, i.e. back-pack, planner, pen
• Group evening sessions
• PowerPoint Presentation
• Degree audit overview
• Dinner and prizes
• Brief one-on-one advising

16
Advising Structure

• Each student assigned a permanent CAAAL advisor
• CAAAL staff teach the Seminar Course
• CAAAL advisor readily available
• Fully explain the audit and use Recommended
  4-year plans as worksheets in conjunction w/audit
• Students in major also get a faculty advisor (two
  advisors!)

17
Adult Learning Support Services

• Math workshops
• CLEP Workshops
• Non-Traditional Student Organization (NTSO)
• Adult Learning Listserv
• One-on-one tech support
• Adult Learning Newsletter
• Adult Learning Scholarships

18
GNED 100 Adult Academic Success Seminar

• Fulfills new student seminar requirement (2
  credits)
• Syllabus topics
• Time Management
• Writing a research paper
• Library resources (hands-on tour)
• Oral/Group Presentations
• Adult student speakers
• Blackboard

19
Student Comments

• It helped me get back into the swing of school
  after being out of it so long. If the goal of
  this class is to prepare us for whats to come
  I feel it hit the mark.
• I have a confidence now that was missing the
  first day of class.I walked into this class with
  the attitude of fulfilling my requirement and
  walked away with much more.

20
Adult Learner Reception

• Includes family friends (support network)
• Ice-breakers
• Keynote speakers administrators students
• Raffles
• Buffet dinner
• Skits with follow-up audience discussion

21
Statistics
22
Average Credits Attempted/Earned
23
Fall 2006 Enrollment Yield
24
Fall 2006 to Spring 2007 Persistence Rate
25
Transfer Student Persistence Rate
26
GPA results Fall 06 Spring 07
27
Questions Answers
Thank you!!!