This presentation will discuss the ways in which Penn State World Campus is transforming itself to become a learner-centric organization. Penn State World Campus strives to lead the way to not only increase educational access to the previously neglected adult learner populations but also ensure their success. In the past, Penn State has not done a good job in serving adult learners or on providing the support they need to successfully complete their educational goals. New programs, specialized student support, and a willingness to adopt the newest technologies will enabled Penn State to offer high quality, blended learning and online educations an adult learner population. In this difficult and competitive economic climate, more and more people are looking to broaden their skill base and gain an edge in the job market.
In the organization's quest to promote success not just access, specialized student services for Academic Outreach students extend well outside the Pennsylvanian borders. Support services are available beyond traditional business hours and some services are even available online. Currently, Academic Outreach can be found on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Second Life, and LinkedIn. World Campus even has its own blog, "The Corner of College & Allen". The blog, Twitter, and Facebook are predominantly used to notify students about important updates and upcoming deadlines. The World Campus Island in Second Life is used to host meetings and is an alternative destination for library services, advising, and career counseling. These services are also available in a variety of other mediums and formats. In addition to providing alternative communication streams, adapting these technologies to the academic realm has also created opportunities for increased interaction between students and Penn State. These sites provide World Campus's geographically dispersed students with a common space to bond, share, and network.
Academic Outreach also caters to and supports learners with more unique needs. For example, the World Campus was named a Top Military friendly university by Military Advanced Education. Many of our advisors are knowledgeable in this complicated enrollment process and can assist individuals as they navigate the system and find ways to use their military benefits to fund their education. Academic Outreach also offers disability services and orchestrates three in-house scholarship programs, the World Campus Student Fund, the Fund for Adult Continuing Education Support, and the Osher Adult Learner Scholarship Fund. These scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate academic achievement but have difficulty in financing their education. In addition to expanding World Campus online courses, certificates and degree programs within the state, Academic Outreach plans to increase access for adult learners through a new video networking system which will enable students with access to Penn State campuses to be connected face-to-face through video-connected classrooms. The current goal is to have ten campuses connected by the end of 2010. Implementing the video networking solution is no small undertaking; however, once it is up and running the benefits of the initiative will be immediately recognized. Individuals who prefer a face-to-face or blended learning experience can now have the quality Penn State experience closer to home. The video connected classrooms will also prevent courses from being cancelled due to low enrollments.
Since adult learners are interested in employment after graduation, Academic Outreach aids students in their job search. Understanding that traditional career fairs with corporate employers do not cater to the adult learner population, Penn State's Continuing Education unit sought to create a custom job fair for the adult demographic. The first annual Central Pennsylvania Regional Career fair was held in May 2008 and its main objective was to connect talented adult learners to local employers and vice versa. The fair also enabled Penn State to educate both, the local workforce and employers, about the many certificates and degrees available through Penn State's Continuing Education programs. The third annual career fair is scheduled for the spring of 2010.
The goal of this presentation is to share our expertise and best practices around not just greater student access but how to support our adult learners for greater academic success. These practices can be duplicated by others also looking to become a more learner-centric organization. Understanding and finding solutions for the various challenges adult learners face is key to enabling their success and that is why this topic is relevant and important to discuss.
