On this blog, we often discuss the reasons professional and career colleges can offer tremendous opportunities to non-traditional students who may not otherwise have a chance at higher education. But what exactly is a non-traditional (or “at-risk”) student, and how can those of us in the higher education space ensure that those students receive the best education possible?

First, let’s define what it means to be a non-traditional student.  According to the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), students are considered non-traditional if they have one or more of the following characteristics when they are first-time, first year students:

• Financially independent
• Over the age of 25
• Delayed entry into college
• Full time work
• Attending school part-time
• Have dependents
• Single parent
• No high school diploma

Recently, there has been considerable discussion about the need for professional colleges and universities to better assess learning outcomes and student success. What we have learned, however, is that before measuring student outcomes, institutions must first consider the risk factors that affect their students and how those factors will impact educational outcomes. This presents both unique challenges and opportunities for career colleges, who enroll more at-risk students than their traditional counterparts and face higher drop-out rates as a result.

With this in mind, how can professional colleges and universities best identify at-risk students, in order to help them overcome these potential challenges? In our recent white paper entitled “Stop the Drop: How Professional Colleges and Universities Can Use Learning Management Systems to Identify and Engage At-Risk Students,” we discuss the ways schools can leverage tools contained in learning management systems to engage and monitor at-risk students. In other words, career colleges and professional universities can pull the information they already have about students from their LMS to help identify those who might be at risk. Since demographic and past-performance clues are already in learning management system and admissions data, schools simply need to employ the right analytical tools to turn these clues into actionable information.

We’ve likely all heard myths about online learning.  Specifically, that anyone can succeed in an online learning environment and that online classes are easier for students than traditional face-to-face classes.  In a recent webinar, however, Instructional Designer Loren Kleinman of Berkeley College dispelled these myths while discussing how best to design engaging courses with Instructional Design Theory, using her school’s unique online learning prep course as an example.

Kleinman argues that while many students are savvy when it comes to accessing the web on mobile devices or using social networks, this does not always translate to skills necessary for success in online learning.  As such, Berkeley College ensures that incoming students will have positive outcomes during their tenure at the school by requiring a Road to Success in Online Learning (RTS) course to evaluate and determine students’ motivation, commitment, and ability to function effectively online.  In order to create this course, Loren implemented best practices of Instructional Design Theory to ensure it was developed to foster student success and accurately reflect their comfort in an online learning setting.

Here are some of Kleinman’s tips for using instructional design when designing online learning courses:

• Know your audience: Are your learners primarily Millennials or adults? Traditional or non-traditional students?  These and other demographic questions will impact the teaching methodology used in online curriculum development.

We are excited to announce an upcoming webinar to explore best practices in instructional design, which can help professional colleges and universities determine students’ chances for success in an online learning environment.

Leading this webinar is Instructional Designer Loren Kleinman from Berkeley College, an institution which requires all students to enroll in Road to Success in Online Learning (RTS) as a prerequisite to registering for online courses. RTS was designed to evaluate and determine students’ motivation, commitment and ability to function effectively in Blackboard. Since Berkeley College has experienced notable results from their RTS implementation, they want to share advice with others who seek to implement Instructional Design Theory for similar programs at their respective institutions.

If you believe your professional college or university can benefit from strategies in implementing Instructional Design Theory and best practices in developing online learning prep courses, be sure to tune into this webinar!

Details:

When: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. EDT

Speakers: Loren Kleinman, M.A., Instructional Designer,  Berkeley College

Register: http://bit.ly/RMvD8C

Hope to see you there!

Not long ago, I wrote a post about BlackboardPay, a card-based solution that can enhance the efficiency and ease of financial services at professional and career colleges in a way that represents students’ interests. You may have also heard, however, that there has been controversy surrounding another card-based solution in the news lately.  Below is a brief explanation that should help dispel misconceptions about this situation as well as provide insight into what an institution should look for when searching for a financial aid disbursement partner.

Financial Aid Disbursement Solutions

Currently, several companies’ financial aid disbursement solutions are built upon a model of charging fees on students’ bank cards and checking accounts designated to receive financial aid credit balances or refunds. This model has generated much controversy in recent months, as this approach, in addition to putting institutions at risk for not meeting federal disbursement regulations, is not designed to maximize the educational benefit of students’ financial aid. For a student on a tight budget, excessive fees add up and can significantly impact their higher education experience. Below, we offer 3 principles to keep in mind when selecting a partner to distribute financial aid:

1. Standards that Institutions should Seek in Financial Aid Disbursement Solutions “Traditional” fee-based banking models were never designed with the unique needs of students in mind, especially those receiving financial aid, and should be significantly modified.