To Knock Down Barriers for Returning Adult Learners, RI Tries Something New
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| Title: | To Knock Down Barriers for Returning Adult Learners, RI Tries Something New |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Money, Tracy, Littky, Dennis, Bush, Adam |
| Source: | New England Journal of Higher Education. Jun 2015. |
| Availability: | New England Board of Higher Education. 45 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111. Tel: 617-357-9620; Fax: 617-338-1577; e-mail: info@nebhe.org; Web site: http://www.nebhe.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Publication Date: | 2015 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Postsecondary Education Adult Education |
| Descriptors: | Postsecondary Education, Intervention, Adult Education, Adult Students, Disproportionate Representation, Low Income Groups, Curriculum Design, Electronic Learning, Online Courses, Lifelong Learning, Workplace Learning |
| Geographic Terms: | Rhode Island |
| ISSN: | 1938-5978 |
| Abstract: | In a historic unanimous vote on May 20, 2015, the Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education welcomed College Unbound as a degree-granting postsecondary option in the state, designed to serve the more than 110,000 Rhode Island adults who began but did not complete bachelor's degrees. The college is the adult-learning initiative of Big Picture Learning, a nonprofit organization dedicated to a fundamental redesign of education in the U.S. College Unbound has broken with tradition, painting a new picture of college. It is "unbound" from conventional structures, designed specifically to meet the needs of the underserved adult learner in unique ways. College Unbound provides more than a single intervention aimed at accommodating adults; it combines several interventions in a carefully designed program that has been tested and proven successful with underrepresented, low-income, returning adult learners over the last six years. It facilitates a real-life curriculum built around projects which students design in connection to their work and interests in an online environment. The development of Lifelong Learning Competencies and field-specific knowledge and skills are interwoven through a combination of courses, field studies in the student's own workplace and community, and in-depth work on projects with meaningful impact. The article concludes that by welcoming College Unbound as a degree-granting postsecondary option, Rhode Island is opening doors for the underserved adult learner, recognizing that the clock, the dollar, and tolerance levels for irrelevant curriculum only stretch so far. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2015 |
| Access URL: | https://www.nebhe.org/thejournal/to-knock-down-barriers-for-returning-adult-learners-rhode-island-tries-something-new/ |
| Accession Number: | EJ1069544 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | In a historic unanimous vote on May 20, 2015, the Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education welcomed College Unbound as a degree-granting postsecondary option in the state, designed to serve the more than 110,000 Rhode Island adults who began but did not complete bachelor's degrees. The college is the adult-learning initiative of Big Picture Learning, a nonprofit organization dedicated to a fundamental redesign of education in the U.S. College Unbound has broken with tradition, painting a new picture of college. It is "unbound" from conventional structures, designed specifically to meet the needs of the underserved adult learner in unique ways. College Unbound provides more than a single intervention aimed at accommodating adults; it combines several interventions in a carefully designed program that has been tested and proven successful with underrepresented, low-income, returning adult learners over the last six years. It facilitates a real-life curriculum built around projects which students design in connection to their work and interests in an online environment. The development of Lifelong Learning Competencies and field-specific knowledge and skills are interwoven through a combination of courses, field studies in the student's own workplace and community, and in-depth work on projects with meaningful impact. The article concludes that by welcoming College Unbound as a degree-granting postsecondary option, Rhode Island is opening doors for the underserved adult learner, recognizing that the clock, the dollar, and tolerance levels for irrelevant curriculum only stretch so far. |
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| ISSN: | 1938-5978 |
