College of DuPage Joins Coalition of Adult Learning Focused Institutions (ALFI)

College of DuPage recently joined the coalition of Adult Learning Focused Institutions (ALFI) as designated by The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), a national nonprofit that works within the higher education, public and private sectors offering specialized services to meet the unique needs of adult students.

In 2013, the Adult Learner Services Committee was formed at College of DuPage to identify, implement and improve processes and services for adult learners, and the committee recommended that the ALFI Assessment Toolkit be administered to identify the College's strengths and challenges in serving adult learners.

The ALFI Assessment Toolkit contains two surveys, the Adult Learner Inventory (ALI) and the Institutional Self-Assessment Survey (ISAS). The ALI was administered to College of DuPage adult students and the ISAS to COD administration, faculty and staff.

"Both surveys provided data and insights on how structures, resources and practices impact the success of adult learners at College of DuPage," said Julie Marlatt, Manager of Admissions and Outreach. "As a result, the Adult Learner Services Committee created five sub-groups to analyze and address the challenges identified in these surveys."

The committee is currently preparing recommendations for senior management that will build upon the current adult learning efforts at College of DuPage.

"Adult learners have always been an important population at the College," Marlatt said. "By becoming an ALFI coalition member, we now have access to a vast number of resources that will further strengthen our efforts in helping adult learners succeed in their pursuit of a higher education."

For more information on adult student programs and services, visit www.cod.edu/academics/adult.aspx. For more information about CAEL, visit www.cael.org.