A Match.com for Mid-Life Adults in Higher Education

A Match.com for Mid-Life Adults in Higher Education Prior Learning Assessment & Career Planning and Development Presented by Melanie Booth, Lynn Brown, & Jackie Fowler Marylhurst University

Agenda
About Us & About Marylhurst
Student Roles & Student Needs
Personal and Professional Assessment - PLA
Professional Development and Career Services Support
The Match
Institutional Possibilities

About Us
Melanie Booth
Director of Learning Assessment Center & Prior Learning Assessment Program
Jackie Fowler
Faculty, Prior Learning Assessment program
Lynn Brown
Director of Career Services & Internship Program

About Marylhurst University
Liberal Arts higher educational institution since 1893
Lifelong learning institution for men and women since 1974
“ Dedicated to making innovative post-secondary education accessible to self-directed students of any age.”
Average age of students: 38
Mid-life adult learners

The Match
Themes We’ll Explore
Reflection & Assessment
Life and Career Roles & Transitions
Articulating Knowledge & Skills
Aligning Education to Personal & Professional Goals
Prior Learning & New Learning
Integration of Liberal Arts & Professional Education

Roles
List current active roles (nouns) in the center of the circle
Examples: Mother, student
List ascending and descending roles in the second ring of the circle
Ascending – roles coming in
Descending – roles going out
List wished-for roles (nouns) in the outer ring of the circle
Examples: Graduate, leader

Roles
Take a few minutes to share with the person next to you about the relationship between the roles you’ve identified:
What roles do you savor, and want to encourage?
What roles do you feel burdened by, and want to let go of?
What emerging roles are you excited about? Are they in anyway linked to your “wished for” roles?

Roles
This exercise represents the complexity of the lives of our students.
Our “matched” programs seek to help them find integration.

Personal and Professional Assessment - PLA
Adult learners are not “blank slates”
Typically done at the beginning of a student’s entry into Marylhurst
Students can earn credit for college-level learning that has resulted from their varied experiences – up to 45 credits
Requires reflection and articulation of knowledge, linked to academic theory

Marylhurst’s PLA Program
LRN 150 (1 credit):
Learning Assessment Workshop
LRN 305 (6 credits):
PLA Seminar ~ From Experience to Learning
LRN 311, 312, 003 (varying credits):
PLA Tutorials
Compile and submit final PLA Portfolio for transcription

Professional Development
Recent student survey:
Primary motivation for degree completion is related to career: career advancement and/or career change
2 illustrations
Christine T.
Alex C.

The Match - Revisited
Themes We’ve Explored
Reflection & Assessment
Life and Career Roles & Transitions
Articulating Knowledge & Skills
Aligning Education to Personal & Professional Goals
Prior Learning & New Learning
Integration of Liberal Arts & Professional Education
An Example Tool
Assessment Chronolog – for PLA and Professional Development

Institutional Possibilities
Think about your own institutional possibilities for program “matches” that can help support and serve mid-life adult learners:
What programs might currently exist that could be matched?
Consider events, courses, programs, etc.
What new programs could be developed to create matches?
Consider events, courses, programs, etc.

Session Reflections
As time will allow, please feel free to share your reflections, ideas, or questions with the whole group.
Please complete an evaluation of this session.
THANKS FOR JOINING US!

A Match.com for Mid-Life Adults in Higher Education

by Melanie Booth on May 27, 2009

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A Match.com for Mid-Life Adults in Higher Education — Presentation Transcript