Adult College Program

Wasn't it just last week when it was 50 degrees and sunny? I looked out the window this morning and what do I see - more snow! I was planning on a craft program this week at the library, we were painting plant pots and then planting seeds in them. But, somehow, the project doesn't seem so timely after more snow. On the other hand it may be the only green growing things we get to see for awhile.

I guess if we were having a spell of good weather it would be harder to concentrate on school and right now I am finishing one class and getting ready to start another one.

Another exciting thing happening this spring is the first semester of OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Insitute) at Granite State College at the Claremont NH college campus. I will actually be helping with the computer class which still has several openings. The classes are available to students over 50 and the cost is very reasonable - appropriate offering from an adult education school!

If you know someone who might like to sign up let them know about it.

Learning online at Granite State College is practical and functional for many adult learners taking adult college courses.  It lends itself well to how adult learners learn best, under the unique conditions they often find themselves.  Online learning is appealing from a practical lifestyle perspective but also from a theoretical and neuro-scientific perspective.   Here are the top ten reasons to take online classes for college:

Easy to get started - You can get started learning online with a computer and Internet access.   Computers are becoming more powerful, less expensive and more user-friendly.  Internet service is widely available in many places.  If owning your own computer or accessing the Internet from home is a problem, many public libraries offer free computer and Internet access.  Be sure to check your school’s technical requirements for your computer before taking an online class. 

Economical - No travel costs, no commuting, and no dormitory fees - just tuition and occasionally materials fees.

Accessible – As long as you have an Internet connection, you can access your online course.  This is particularly appealing to parents of young children or students who travel often for their work.

Flexible –Unable to make a 9:00 AM Economics lecture on a college campus?  Online classes are available 24 hours a day.  You can learn online from your own home at a time that is convenient for you. 

Effective – When you take online classes for adults, you can expect to learn important career building skills and abilities equal to, or better than, a traditional classroom setting.  According to a 2010 evaluation of online learning conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, “Students in online conditions performed modestly better, on average, than those learning the same material through traditional face-to-face instruction.” 

It gets better - Thanks to advances in technology, learning online continues to improve at an unprecedented rate.  New technologies facilitate active engagement that allow adult learners to apply, integrate, implement, differentiate, and formulate new learning into experience generating activities.   Technological advances also enhance learner connectedness, interaction and mutual support.  Immersive learning environments and serious games are no longer distant concepts but rapidly becoming more common in online learning. 

Challenging – Though there are deadlines and due dates, there are no class meeting times (although some online classes may require mandatory synchronous session), you are constantly working on your own resourcefulness and initiative to complete the coursework. 

Time for Reflection – Unlike a face-to-face class where immediate responses are often required in class discussions, online discussion boards allow time for thoughtful reflection and critical thinking when interacting and responding on an online discussion board.   This reflection time can facilitate metacognition – thinking about one’s own thinking or “the ability to monitor one’s current level of understanding and decide when it is not adequate” (How People Learn, 2000).   

Your experience counts – Online learning facilitates the connection to past experience (cognitive activation) critical to the adult learning process.  Raymond Wlodkowski author of “Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn” explains it this way; “adults have had more time and seen the benefits and outcomes of a greater variety of experiences.  Neurologically, their brains are more developed and capable of judging, planning, and making decisions about their experiences in a manner that is more integrated, stable, reflective, and future oriented.”  Online learning interactive activities such as discussion boards, blogs and journals provide the opportunities to employ an adult’s “rich mosaic of experience” at deeper levels of learning as part of the learning experience. 

Meaningful - You determine the meaning of the learning.  “Most experts who have studied or participated in online learning communities share an approach to adult learners described as ‘constructivism.’ It is based on the premise that knowledge is constructed by adult learners as they filter new information through the prism of their own experience. It is quite different from the more traditional ‘objectivist’ idea of knowledge as a preexisting reality that teachers simply transmit by means of effective communication, and reinforce through practice and repetition. Constructivists expect adult learners to be active, reflective, and creative: managing their own learning process and often collaborating with each other to test new ideas and information by applying them to real problems and circumstances. Therefore, constructivists often describe their approach as student-centered rather than teacher-centered. Instructors facilitate learners’ progress rather than operating primarily as podium-based sages.” – Dr. Burgess Smith, Granite State College. 

Like any other endeavor, learning online is what you make of it.  Organization, discipline and hard work are all successful components to a positive online learning experience.    As Judy Willis, MD, M.Ed. puts it: “The person who does the work LEARNS.”

Citations

Means, B, Toyama, Y, Murphy, R, Bakia, M, & Jones, K. (2010). Evaluation of Evidence-based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies .  U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development Policy and Program Studies Service.

How People Learn. (2000). Washington, D.C.  National Research Council.

Wlodkowski , R. (2008). Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Smith, B. (2011, February). How We Learn Online [Web log message]. Retrieved from https://blackboard.granite.edu/  

As many of you may know, Adult Financial Aid has been a hot topic in recent federal and state budget debates. These debates have left many of us wondering, “What is financial aid going to look like in the future?” I can’t speak for other schools, and I certainly do not profess to know exactly what is going to happen, but here are my thoughts and opinions on how Granite State College students may be affected.

With regard to State Financial aid, I believe we will see a cut to many of the grant and scholarship programs for New Hampshire. Governor Lynch proposed the elimination of the Post-Secondary Education Commission as a stand-alone agency. They are currently the ones administering the NH Incentive Grant. With the proposed elimination, it is unclear who, if anyone will be administering this program. There have been mentions of each state school receiving an allotment of funding to be used at the school level, but we have not received any official word as of yet.

We have been notified; however, that we will no longer have funding for the Unique Allocation Scholarship or the Unique Endowment fund. These funds will be re-directed to support public institutions of higher learning in New Hampshire.

In addition, Congress is still debating the proposed cuts to its budget as well. There have been talks of decreasing the annual Pell Grant allotment from $5550 (maximum annual award) to $4705 (maximum annual award). Senate is planning to vote on these proposed cuts this week, and if they are not passed, they will return to the drawing board until they can come to an agreement.

That being said, Granite State College is still able to fund the majority of our students using the Federal Aid Programs available to us. Because we are mainly an Adult and Continuing Education college and do not have the high costs of residential campuses, we will not be as heavily affected by these proposed cuts as some of the more traditional colleges in the area. We are confident that no matter what happens, we will have proper funding to assist our students.

There are, however, things students can do on their own to help supplement their educational expenses. Because we may have to use more Stafford loan money to cover the portion of charges typically covered by the State Grant Programs, Students should take a good, hard look at what they are borrowing. Students should keep a close eye on their outstanding loan debt by checking the National Student Loan Data System on a regular basis. This will allow them to track how much they have already borrowed and reconsider their borrowing habits. Another good tool to use is the financial aid loan payment calculator. This will give them an idea of what their monthly payment will look like once they have finished their program. These tools allow students to make informed choices as to how they want to spend their money and more importantly, what they can really afford.

Another option students should be aggressively pursuing is scholarships. It takes a little more leg work since most have an application and essay requirement, but with the cuts to many grant programs, this is another very feasible way to get free money for education.

Students can create a profile on a scholarship search engine which will then send them different scholarships that may be applicable to them. Another excellent scholarship resource for New Hampshire residents is the New Hampshire Charitable Fund. Specifically, the adult student aid program is designed for adults returning to school to upgrade skills for employment or career advancement. In addition, the statewide student aid program is designed for the traditional student in a four year baccalaureate program.  

Keep in mind that not all scholarship opportunities are legit. Take a look at these Scholarship Tips to avoid being caught in the middle of a scam.

So as we move forward into the 2011-2012 financial aid award year, things are still very uncertain. Rest assured though, Granite State College will have aid to cover our students regardless of what happens with both the State and Federal governments.