Short-cycle higher education programs (SCPs) can play a central role in skill development and higher education expansion, yet their quality varies greatly within and among countries. In this paper we explore the relationship between programs' practices and inputs (quality determinants) and student academic and labor market outcomes. We design and…

This What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) report, part of the WWC's Supporting Postsecondary Success topic area, explores the effects of "Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP)" on enrollment, credit accumulation, and graduation rates. The WWC identified 11 studies of "ASAP," and two studies meet WWC standards. The evidence…

Enrolling in college and completing a degree or certificate is one of the primary pathways to economic success. In 2017, median weekly earnings of full-time workers with an associate degree was 17 percent higher than full-time workers with a high school diploma only. Despite the economic advantages of educational attainment, only 32 percent of…

This What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) report, part of the WWC's Supporting Postsecondary Success topic area, explores the effects of "Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP)" on enrollment, credit accumulation, and graduation rates. The WWC identified 11 studies of "ASAP," two of which met WWC standards. The evidence…

Each year millions of Americans make the decision to pursue a college education to improve their skill sets, boost their earning potential and transform their life circumstances. Yet almost 1 in 5 students leaves empty-handed after investing precious time and valuable resources. And many who amass student loan debt are crippled by the burden of…

The City University of New York's (CUNY's) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) combines many of the ideas from a range of programs into a comprehensive model that requires students to attend school full-time, and provides supports and incentives for three years. ASAP's financial aid reforms, enhanced student services, and scheduling…

What works to increase success for Latinos in colleges and universities? Since 2005, Examples of Excelencia has been the only national effort to recognize evidence-based practices that accelerate Latino student success in higher education. Through this process, "Excelencia" recognizes programs in three different academic levels as well…

What works to increase Latino student success in higher education? Since 2005, "Excelencia" in Education has led the only national effort to recognize evidence-based practices that accelerate Latino student success in higher education through Examples of "Excelencia." Through this process, "Excelencia" recognizes…

Navigating the complicated path through college can be a difficult task. The report analyses the problems students have on graduating on time--such as earning unnecessary credits--which costs them collectively billions of dollars and millions of hours each year. It also proposes a possible solution--Guided Pathways to Success (GPS), which can…

In recent years, there has been unprecedented national focus on the importance of increasing graduation rates for community college students. Many reforms have been tried, but college completion rates remain stubbornly low: Only one-third of entering students graduate with a degree or certificate within five years. Reforms are often short-term,…

In recent years, there has been unprecedented national focus on the importance of increasing the stubbornly low graduation rates of community college students. Most reforms that have been tried are short-term and address one or only a few barriers to student success. The City University of New York's (CUNY's) Accelerated Study in Associate…

To increase the rate at which adult basic skills students advance to and succeed in college-level occupational programs, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) developed the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training, or I-BEST. In the I-BEST model, a basic skills instructor and an occupational instructor team…

This report is the self-study of the Associate in Occupational Studies (AOS) in Culinary Arts program offered by the Hotel, Culinary Arts, and Tourism Department at Schenectady County Community College (New York). The self-study was conducted to support the department's application for initial accreditation of the Culinary Arts program with the…

A driver education task analysis was completed and instructional material was developed under a different contract but in conjunction with this and a companion project. Different editions of a teacher's guide were written for secondary schools and driving schools. The former was disseminated through workshops for college and university…

A model project at Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, Iowa, provided a degree-bearing second-year course of vocational study to a nontraditional audience seeking high-technology training. The flexible, competency-based program offered three paths of study: a course in personal computing resulting in a diploma or an associate degree, an…