To make college more affordable and accessible, Lehman College greatly expanded a program originally offered to its adult learners to all learners—from traditional learners to near completers to high school graduates transitioning to higher education. The Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) program was a recruitment tool delivered via a portfolio model in the college’s adult degree program, which was established for returning adult learners. Via the new CPL approach, students could earn one to three elective credits at the end of their degree to satisfy missing elective credits; nearly 50 students earned CPL credits to complete their degrees during the 2019 spring and fall semesters.
The City University of New York’s only four-year college in the Bronx hoped this program would essentially become a degree accelerator for students in their last semester; however, over the five years of the program’s implementation, the college engaged students about this opportunity and learned the following:
- Many students were missing liberal arts credits, which are required to satisfy New York State graduation requirements.
- Credits students earned in high school via Advanced Placement examinations and college bridge programs were often not transferred in a timely manner, causing course redundancies and loss of credit.
- Proficiency exams, including the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), Cambridge Level A, and workforce training and licensures, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Google, Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC), and first aid, were not fully articulated.
In identifying these challenges, Lehman College realized it needed to embrace CPL as a student success strategy for all students, not just adult learners. With 90% of Lehman’s learners coming from underrepresented backgrounds, the CPL program—also referred to as Accelerated Degree Completion Strategies—could have a profound impact on persistence and graduation rates and support students in maintaining aid eligibility.
The Methodology
Building on its adult learner degree completion program, Lehman College wanted to bridge a clear equity gap and improve outcomes for all students. To accomplish this goal, a part-time CPL coordinator was hired to work alongside the director of the adult degree program and senior director of enrollment management (now vice president of enrollment management). The trio devised this three-pronged approach to grow CPL (branded as Accelerated Degree Completion Strategies):
Faculty Engagement
Traditional thought nationwide is that a majority of faculty members are partial toward giving credit for traditional classwork as opposed to CPL, an approach perceived as stretching the definition of a classroom. However, at Lehman this wasn’t the case. We included faculty at the very start of our CPL efforts; leveraging a coalition of the willing, and then began to insert CPL opportunities as possible solutions when faculty brought up issues that were impacting student completion. In general, faculty were receptive to the program because they understood it was an Accelerated Degree Completion Strategy.
Faculty and staff members discussed the various issues that hamper student outcomes such as missing credits and lack of financial aid as they identified solutions that leveraged CPL strategies to meet these and other unmet needs. Credit-bearing opportunities to help students meet missing elective credits were expanded to include FEMA and Coursera course credits, among others.
Of note during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lehman College implemented a COVID-19 certificate that allowed students to earn one credit for completing all of the required training to obtain employment as a COVID-19 tracer. This was particularly important for the college community as the Lehman campus was within a stone’s throw of the first reported case of COVID-19 nationally. The Bronx would eventually become one of the hardest areas hit by COVID-19 in deaths, illness, and economics.
Student Engagement
As these strategies fell into place, Lehman College developed a communications plan to introduce the idea of accelerating credit completion to near completers, then to all students. The strategy consisted of emails, text messages, a website tracking all offerings available to students, and trainings of student advisors so they could introduce the CPL program to their students.
In addition, Lehman College partnered with the New York State Aid Office to devise a strategy that would allow students who were not making academic momentum to maintain aid eligibility by engaging in CPL activities.
New CPL Offerings
As faculty members and students realized the benefits of the CPL offerings, a concentrated effort was made to expand these opportunities for students. Equivalencies were articulated for CLEP, Cambridge Level A, Empire State College, and DANTES proficiency exams. Lehman College expanded Credit by Departmental examination opportunities for individuals in the creative arts. Opportunities for students to earn credit via FEMA, A+, and CASAC certifications, among others, were also added.
The ramp-up of the CPL initiative took approximately two years and required limited resources beyond the initial part-time coordinator and an additional full-time equivalent clerical support staff member. Lehman College did not experience major challenges in rolling out the CPL program, which can be attributed to transparency and communication with all stakeholders.
The Impact
Lehman College’s strategy to ensure goals are met includes the following:
- Developing electronic safety nets to prevent incoming students who are receiving tests and other credits via CPL from being enrolled in equivalent courses.
- Marketing CPL availability as new opportunities emerge.
- Determining students who would benefit from earning CPL credits so they can graduate on time.
- Identifying and engaging students in jeopardy of losing state aid due to academic momentum issues so they can earn credits to maintain momentum.
Success is measured through active presemester auditing of students’ records to ensure CPL credits apply to their degree journeys wherever possible and interventions to students not making academic milestones for financial aid purposes.
The number of CPL credits delivered is not the marker of success. Some years, more students need these credits or credentials than others. Rather, CPL is part of a larger coordinated effort to connect with students by monitoring, applying, and offering support and services as often as possible. The CPL program lets students know Lehman College’s faculty and staff members are available to support them in various ways when and how they need it in order to graduate and succeed.
As Lehman College’s efforts mature, it anticipates improvements in persistence and graduation rates and increased numbers of aid-eligible students. The college enrolled 192 students in the COVID-19 certificate and 1,711 additional students in a total of 12 types of CPL activities. For the 2023–2024 academic year, Lehman College awarded 2,052 students a total of 5,278 credits through CPL. Through this initiative, the college hopes to continue providing pathways for students to earn credits in a nontraditional way to complete their academic journeys and earn their degrees.
Key Takeaways
Success in expanding this type of work requires a faculty and administrative partnership as well as complete transparency in the process.
“Gloria came to us this past semester at her wit’s end. Gloria, a single mother of three children, who had no money left to complete her degree, exhausted from working countless hours at a low-paying job, and like so many others, who was now playing the role of teacher at home, was ready to give up on her dream. However, she was only a handful of open elective credits away from her degree. Once she reached out to the CPL team, they were able to work with her to identify a path of using alternative credit opportunities and offset the cost of these activities with the stipends our funding provides. The student worked diligently to complete these experiences and graduated at the end of the fall semester!”
CPL staff member, Lehman College
“At Lehman College, growing Credit for Prior Learning opportunities is a collegewide effort that serves as a crucial access point for many of our students, but perhaps its most important contribution may be as a key piece of our persistence and completion strategy.”
Richard Finger, vice president for enrollment management, Lehman College