Breakthrough Models for College Completion9 New Postsecondary Degree Programs

Common attributes across the portfolio of NGLC-funded postsecondary degree program models include:

•Competency-based learning

•Disaggregated faculty roles

•Tuition models that reward persistence

•Data to target supports

•Self-paced instruction.

More: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/NG1233.pdf

AT A GLANCEPrograms: 9

Students Served in First Year: 5,115

State Systems: 2

Public, Four-Year Universities: 2

Public, Two-Year Colleges: 1

Private, Non-Profit Universities: 2

For-Profit Universities: 2

Focused on New AA Degrees: 5

Focused on New BA Degrees: 5

Board of Regents of The University System of GeorgiaThe University System of Georgia and one of its institutions, Columbus State University, are designing a new Bachelor of Arts degree program in Communication with a Civic Leadership concentration to begin Fall 2013. The program is delivered 90% online and punctuated at key risk points with in-person credit-bearing service-learning experiences. Students earn a certificate credential within the first year, an associate’s degree before the end of year two, and a bachelor’s degree upon completion.

More: http://www.usg.edu

Ameritas College

Ameritas College is building upon Brandman University’s high quality and affordable blended learning Dual Language English Immersion (DLEI) degree program to create a 100% online program with a revolutionary new virtual learning environment to significantly expand access for Hispanic adults in need of higher education. The goal of DLEI is functional bilingualism for all students such that students develop both subject matter and college-level language proficiency—in English and Spanish—simultaneously.

More: www.ameritas.brandman.edu

Kentucky Technical and Community College System

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is transforming an existing online program by using linear, competency-based course modules to increase student success, degree completion, and affordability. Students move swiftly and sequentially from one course module to the next without breaks between semesters. They move forward at their own pace once they master the content of a module. The revamped tuition model will reward progress and early completion.

More: http://www.kctcs.edu/

The University of Washington

This flagship institution in the state of Washington is offering a low-cost online bachelor’s degree completion program, designed to serve working adults with some college credit who need an undergraduate degree to advance their careers. The degree completion program is offered at a reduced cost, and versions of the courses will be offered at no cost via MOOCs. The MOOC versions offer students the opportunity to sample a course before enrolling.

More: http://www.washington.edu/

Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University is launching a Personalized Learning program in spring 2013 to offer bachelor’s degrees that are more accessible, flexible, and efficient. Each degree program has a clear set of modules and learning outcomes defined by NAU faculty, but the route from start to finish is completely flexible, letting students choose which modules to tackle first. Along the way, mentor faculty work with students to provide feedback, suggest specific resources, or simply provide support if a student is struggling with an academic concept or with balancing their studies with their work.

More: http://extended.nau.edu/

New Charter University

New Charter University delivers relevant, outcomes-driven learning and college degrees where the university’s courses and content are freely available on the Internet to any learner, whether or not they are enrolled. Tuition is based on a monthly subscription model that includes textbooks.

Although the goal is to increase access, quality and support are also important. New Charter is partnering with a traditional community college to study its model’s effectiveness in online and blended learning environments, especially for an adult learner population.More:

http://new.edu/info/

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board The Texas Affordable Baccalaureate program uses a competency-based, year-round model with flat-rate tuition such that students can work through as many courses within a seven-week period as their schedules allow. Students advance based on showing competency in the subject area rather than hours in class. Full-time faculty and industry experts develop courses; individual coaches support students in lower-division online courses; and faculty offer upper-division courses online and face-to-face.

More: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/

Southern New Hampshire University

Focused on “unconfident learners”—those who are familiar with educational failures, unsure of their abilities, or balancing the demands of work and family—the College for America program of Southern New Hampshire University is a self-paced online associate’s degree program with no courses, no credit hours, no traditional faculty, and no grades, offered at a low student cost. The program encourages mentors in the workplace or the local community and uses a set of key competencies defined, in part, by employers.

More: http://www.snhu.edu/15387.asp

Rio Salado College

Rio Salado College is creating new processes to make college completion more attainable for early college high school students, workers of partner employers, and individuals with substantial credit for prior learning. This includes online student services ranging from a completion portal and real time analytics reports to dedicated advisors and peer mentors. Students will also benefit from the college’s early alert system and guided evaluation assessment and response (GEAR) system.

More: http://www.riosalado.edu/