Waubonsee CC Supporting Latinx and Adult Learners with Coaching, Credit for Prior Learning

In an effort to increase Latinx and adult learner enrollment and completion rates, Waubonsee Community College in Illinois is working with nonprofits InsideTrack and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) to revamp its degree pathways and improve coaching and advising support for students. The five-year initiative is funded by a $3 million grant from the United States Department of Education.

The project will begin with "student journey mapping" sessions exploring the barriers to college access and success for Latinx students and working adults. InsideTrack's success coaches will help the college pinpoint the stages in the student journey where learners might go off-track and fine-tune its approaches to better engage and retain those students.

In addition, InsideTrack and CAEL will provide training for Waubonsee's advisers and staff to help them integrate student success coaching into their work, build and maintain a coaching program, and develop tools and processes to assess students' prior learning so that students can receive course credit, shorten their time to completion and save money. Advisers and admissions staff who complete the training will receive an InsideTrack-CAEL certification in best practices for supporting working adults and Latinx students.

"As the demographics of our communities and higher education continue to shift, it's critical that student support adapts to meet the needs of fast-growing student populations, including working adults and Latinx students," said Christine Sobek, president of Waubonsee Community College, in a statement. "This work is about better understanding the student journey — as adults, Latinx, and other historically excluded populations experience it — and transforming our approach to coaching, advising, and creating streamlined pathways to a degree or credential."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • server racks, a human head with a microchip, data pipes, cloud storage, and analytical symbols

    OpenAI, Oracle Expand AI Infrastructure Partnership

    OpenAI and Oracle have announced they will develop an additional 4.5 gigawatts of data center capacity, expanding their artificial intelligence infrastructure partnership as part of the Stargate Project, a joint venture among OpenAI, Oracle, and Japan's SoftBank Group that aims to deploy 10 gigawatts of computing capacity over four years.

  • geometric grid of colorful faculty silhouettes using laptops

    Top 3 Faculty Uses of Gen AI

    A new report from Anthropic provides insights into how higher education faculty are using generative AI, both in and out of the classroom.

  • illustration of an open textbook, computer monitor with flowchart, gears, a wrench, and AI cloud symbol

    Wiley Introduces New AI Courseware Tools

    Wiley has created four new tools for its zyBooks courseware platform designed to improve instruction, learning outcomes, and academic integrity in college STEM courses.

  • student reading a book with a brain, a protective hand, a computer monitor showing education icons, gears, and leaves

    4 Steps to Responsible AI Implementation

    Researchers at the University of Kansas Center for Innovation, Design & Digital Learning (CIDDL) have published a new framework for the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence at all levels of education.