Q: I am looking for any information, or leads, LERN can direct me to, which demonstrates the differences between a non-credit seeking student and a credit seeking student. I offer many Noncredit programs and my credit faculty is fearful student interest will be pulled from their prospective students
A: This is an excellent question. There are, indeed, some substantial differences in credit and non-credit students. Here are some of them:
Non Credit Students
1. Non-credit students are typically looking for skills to increase their employability, move up at work, or to meet certification requirements of their trade.
2. Non-credit students typically do not want to have to conform to all the requirements sometimes required by teachers of courses for credit.
3. Non-credit students are typically non-traditional in terms of age, and expect and need flexibility in scheduling and accommodation for their work and family demands.
4. Non-credit students are typically not looking for a diploma or a degree. All they want is a credential that documents their learning and the skills they have acquired.
5. Many non-credit students need/want more cost effective options for their learning.
Students in non-credit programs often make this choice because of cost, convenience or flexibility. If they cannot find a program that offers them what they need in terms of these three important considerations, they will not necessarily enroll in a credit course. They will go somewhere else for their learning needs. Today, in the age of online courses, the competition is fierce, and institutions cannot afford to send students away.
Many non-credit students would like to earn a degree. However, the structure of the programs available for credit are not necessarily conducive to this. This is the reason than nearly 50% of colleges now offer some credit programs through continuing education. These programs take various forms, and in many instances actually bring more students in to the credit side of the house. There are 2 + 2 programs and 3 + 1 programs where students complete most of their requirements for a Bachelor's degree through continuing education and complete the last one or two years at a four-year institution.
There are Incubator Programs, offered through non-credit venues that help students build toward enrollment in credit bearing courses.
There are stackable certificates, offered for no credit, which allow students to be given credit if they complete a certain number of courses at the specified level of achievement. These programs also are known to encourage students to enroll in credit programs and work toward a degree.
There are dual credit/non-credit certificates, where students can enroll either as credit or non-credit students. They can convert their courses for credit by performing successfully on assessments after the course or completing work that was required of credit but not non-credit students.
The landscape of higher education is changing dramatically. The lines between credit and non-credit programs are blurring, and continuing education, traditionally the provider on non-credit options is the most able to meet the needs for flexibility and accommodation to the requirements of adult students. Thus, a partnership between credit and non-credit within institutions can be a win/win situation. I hope your faculty will not be threatened by the non-credit side of the institution and will recognize that it is a great opportunity to build programs that will actually bring in more students who are generally more successful, than they would otherwise see
Questions
Credit/ Non Credit Students
May 24, 2018 8:52:00 PM
by
Jordan Kivley
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