What does it take to get your adult students to "stay the course"? In these four courses, we've taken extensive research on adult student persistence in literacy learning and share what you need to know to help students overcome typical barriers and improve their participation and goal achievement.
Adult Student Persistence: An Overview
In this course you'll look at student perceptions of program participation and explore research on student persistence. This research will help you understand how students participate and what helps them persist in learning. You will consider instructional and programmatic strategies for improving student persistence as the basis for your own action plan. By the end of the course, you will be able to
- name a key finding from two recent research studies related to adult student persistence
- describe the findings-the four supports to persistence and the five pathways to program participation-from NCSALL's Adult Student Persistence Study
- name six evidence-based practices for improving student persistence
- apply some of these concepts to your program
Documentation:Certificate of Completion will document 3 hours as completion time.
Student Retention through Student Success
This course looks at practical ways to approach student retention, success, and self-efficacy. By the end of the course, you will be able to
- name four types of experiences that build students' self-efficacy
- determine intake and orientation priorities related to student self-efficacy
- explain why showing progress toward educational goals and building self-efficacy are important to student retention
- describe the relationship of self-efficacy and progress toward goal attainment
- use four strategies to increase students' self-efficacy
- track students' progress toward meeting educational goals
Documentation: Certificate of Completion will document 3 hours as completion time.
Should I Stay, or Should I Go?
What can you do during the first 12 hours of program interaction to support students' persistence? In this course You will explore what forces students' choices when they ask themselves, "Should I stay or should I go now?" After completing this course, you will be able to
- explain why intake and orientation activities are important
- list the essential elements for quality intake and orientation for learners
- determine your priorities for intake and orientation
- create some guiding questions to use with students during informal assessment interviews
- describe the role of students in goal setting
- state what research and practice say about setting goals
- conduct a force field analysis of barriers and supports affecting participation
- develop strategies to help adult learners manage barriers and support
Documentation:Certificate of Completion will document 3 hours as completion time.
Stopping Out, Not Dropping Out
The phenomenon of stopping out-one or more cycles of attending, withdrawing, and returning-is typical of adults who must place the student role on the back burner temporarily. So what does this mean to you as an adult educator? What exactly is the research telling us about students who "stop out" and return later? What do we need to put into place to make sure that our students do return after stopping out? By the time you complete the course, you will be able to
- explain the latest research findings on student persistence and episodic participation
- identify the implications of the research on the way we provide services
- propose strategies for engaging students in a comprehensive learning plan that recognizes and accommodates episodic participation
Documentation: Certificate of Completion will document 3 hours as completion time
These courses made possible through a partnership of Towers Perrin and ProLiteracy.
Ordering Information
- Purchasing this course for you? Please select your courses below, add them to your cart, and follow the ordering instructions on the following screens.
- Purchasing this course for someone else? Please contact our professional development department at prodev@proliteracy.org or (888) 528-2224 ext. 221 to insure appropriate course registration.
- Group discounts available! Call (888) 528-2224 ext. 221 or email prodev@proliteracy.org for more information.
- Course orders will temporarily be processed Monday-Friday, 9:00-3:30 EST
