Undergraduate credit for prior learning (CPL) is an important aspect of today's higher-education landscape. This report presents an in-depth look at the current state of undergraduate CPL in the United States and Canada. The primary objective of the report is to foment dialogue and action toward a more inclusive, effective higher-education system…

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact that participation in co-curricular activities has on the academic performance and retention of students at an urban community college. This study utilized archived data to make quantitative analyses of the impact of participation in co-curricular activities on GPA scores and one-semester…

Growing literature documents the promise of active learning instruction in engaging students in college classrooms. Accordingly, faculty professional development (PD) programs on active learning have become increasingly popular in postsecondary institutions; yet, quantitative evidence on the effectiveness of these programs is limited. Using…

Authored by Dr. Wendy Kilgore and Dr. James Dean Ward, this report delves into the impacts and institutional responses to federal regulations limiting transcript holds for students with unpaid balances. This comprehensive analysis is essential reading for anyone involved in higher education administration. Based on a survey of 326 institutions,…

This report, authored by Dr. Wendy Kilgore, Senior Director of Research at AACRAO, and Dr. James Ward, Principal at Ithaka S+R, provides insights into the impact of state-level transcript hold regulations on higher education institutions and learners. Key findings from the report include: (1) 97% of institutions changed practices or policies after…

The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine if there was a statistically significant difference in academic retention, Kaplan® Diagnostic examination scores, and the program completion of upper division nursing students using a concept-based curriculum versus a standard nursing curriculum in one health sciences…

Examining linked academic transcripts from urban community colleges and their feeder high schools, we identify math course-taking patterns that span sectors. We highlight stifled mobility and chronic repetition of math coursework in the transition to college, and we identify "math traps" from which students do not escape. Math mobility…

Nationally, Ithaka S+R estimates that over six million students have completed credits at postsecondary institutions that they cannot document due to a past due balance. These overdue balances contribute to a national problem of stranded credits--credits that students have completed but cannot document because they were unable to fulfill their…

Career and Technical Education (CTE) prepares students for life beyond high school by providing practical labor skills, workforce credentials, and early post-secondary credits. States are required to report the number of CTE concentrators to receive federal Perkins funding, but systems of identifying students as concentrators vary among states. We…

In this digital age, how do institutions know what documents to accept and from whom? This year's school closures, distance learning, online education, and other upheavals have made it even more critical for institutions to ensure that they are accepting official academic records from valid sources. Typically, receiving official documents…

This study has three primary objectives. First to provide insight into possibilities for moderation/mediation analysis in education research by discussing analytical methods based on the counterfactual and developed in other disciplines. Second is to highlight specific issues related to mediation and the estimation of effects when the outcome is…

The Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR)--defined as a verifiable, portable, interoperable digital asset that recognizes all learning--is currently a topic of interest in the postsecondary and workplace ecosystem. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and The EvoLLLution conducted a survey of CAEL higher education members and The…

It is a common practice to issue a summary of a learner's learning achievements in form of a transcript or certificate. However, detailed information on the depth of learning and how learning or teachings were conducted is not present in the transcript of scores. This work presents the first practical implementation of a new platform for keeping…

In recent decades, the long-standing mandatory requirement for standardized tests in higher education undergraduate admission has slowly lost ground to test-optional policies. However, in the first year of the global pandemic, American colleges and universities transitioned from mandatory to optional standardized test policies at a significantly…

Health professions education is in the midst of a radical transformation from traditional lecture-based teaching to competency-based learning. This requires an equally radical transformation in the way we assess student learning and achievement of competencies. Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) addresses this need, enabling metacognitive learning…