Wichita State University’s adult learning programs ranked in the top 15 percent of 571 four-year colleges and universities, according to a recent study for the Washington Monthly.
The ranking considers factors such as ease of transfer, tuition cost and program flexibility.
To create the ranking, Washington Monthly pulled data from two federal government sources – the Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) survey and the department’s new College Scorecard database, released last fall.
They also took key results from the College Board’s Annual Survey of Colleges. They combined all these numbers into seven general measures of colleges’ openness and responsiveness to adult students and to how well those students fared once they left.
Susan Norton, director of adult learning at Wichita State, said WSU ranked very high in ease of transfer/enrollment and services available for adult students. Norton expects WSU to move higher in future rankings because of the program’s flexibility, additional online offerings and the new badge program.
More than 40 percent of Americans enrolled in colleges are adult learners.
“I would argue that adult learners are the single most under-served group in higher education, both by their sheer numbers and their importance to the economy in this country,” said Paul Glastris, editor in chief of Washington Monthly, in a phone interview with The Christian Science Monitor.
Wichita State offers many resources for adult learners, including:
- Academic advising
- Adult learner enrollment checklist
- Career services
- Child Development Center
- Cooperative education and internships
- Counseling
- Financial aid
- Graduate School
- Student Health Services
- Online learning
- OneStop for student-focused support
- Reactivating files with the Registrar’s Office
- Safety
- Satellite campuses
- Scholarships
- Student Success Center
- Success courses geared toward adult learners and returning adults
Affordable, easy badges
WSU also offers badges for undergraduate and graduate credit, with several programs that make workforce training and continued education accessible and affordable.
Once completed, employers are able to view a digital badge to understand what skills potential employees have learned and developed. Designed for practicing professionals, badges can also help with certification or re-licensure.
“The response has been very positive,” said Kimberly Moore, director of Workforce, Professional and Community Education. “Students like the convenience and affordability of the badges.”
Earning credit through badges helps students remain desirable candidates in highly competitive markets, and badge coursework will appear on a WSU transcript. Badge courses are only for non-degree-seeking students.
For more information about adult learning at Wichita State, go to wichita.edu/adultlearning.
To learn more about the badge program, go to badges.wichita.edu. For frequently asked questions, go to http://badges.wichita.edu/node/14.