Jackson College awarded Student Success Grant to Increase Completion Rates

September 28, 2023

Jackson College wants to help students turn experience into college credit. The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s (LEO) Office of Sixty by 30, Global Detroit and the Michigan College Access Network will help bolster those efforts with a recently announced $200,000 grant.

Credit for Prior Learning

Jackson College will use the grant to create an effective, streamlined process for awarding credit for prior learning (CPL) to incoming students. Awarding credit for prior learning supports students by providing a mechanism for recognizing and awarding credit for the knowledge, skills and abilities acquired before college. CPL offers adult learners a range of benefits, including cost savings, accelerated degree completion, personalized learning pathways, and recognition of work experience. It supports diverse needs and experiences of adult learners, empowering them to achieve their educational and career goals efficiently.

“Through conversations with local industry partners, we realized the need for more defined CPL opportunities. Our local industry partners are looking for us to bridge the gap between in-house training, bootcamps, alternative credentials and non-degree programming to academic credit,” said Jamie Vandenburgh, assistant dean of instruction. “We plan to evaluate any and all external apprenticeships to provide direct opportunity to academic credit and help students see their path to completion.

“Additionally, we plan to create opportunities for students to demonstrate their proficiency anytime or anywhere by leveraging a tool called CrossBraining (based out of Spring Arbor). The idea is to create a bank of CPL opportunities.”

Tools like CrossBraining, as well as demonstrating learning through techniques common today such as video, can help earning credit for prior learning. Manufacturing/Industry Instructor Albert Rossner shared, “Evidence of learning is usually the easiest form of recognizing competency attainment but also the most difficult action in education to document correctly. One of the best methods of providing evidence of learning is through demonstration. CrossBraining is a technique used by many educators to help students demonstrate and teach back ‘what they learned’ through using tools such as a GoPro or camera phone in active learning labs. This allows the student to catch evidence of learning in many different complex environments, applications and locations that you normally would not be able to record or present. Students can demonstrate their proficiency of course competencies in a way that allows for targeted feedback and provides validity.”

Professional Development

In addition to streamlining credit for prior learning processes, funds will also support the professional development of faculty and staff through the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), specifically related to supporting adult learners.

“Incorporating CrossBraining into CPL and CBE efforts will enrich the assessment process, empower students to take ownership of their learning, and promote the recognition of prior learning and competencies in a more tangible and engaging way,” Vandenburgh said. “This approach aligns with the increasing demand for flexible and learner-centered educational experiences.”

About the Grant

The Sixty by 30 Adult Student Success Grant provides grants up to $200,000 over two years to selected Michigan community and tribal colleges to implement new, or upscale existing, strategies to improve persistence and completion rates among adult students, with a particular emphasis on Futures for Frontliners and Michigan Reconnect students. Learn more about the state’s Sixty by 30 efforts at Sixtyby30.org and Michigan Reconnect at michigan.gov/Reconnect.