The Summit for Online Leadership and Strategy - Wally Boston, WallyBoston.com

I attended the recent University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) and American Council on Education (ACE) Summit for Online Leadership and Strategy in San Antonio. Topics ranged from updates related to Online Education Policy to Competency Based Online Education to Marketing Online Programs to Data Analytics to Student Retention in Online Programs. One session that piqued my interest was Key Findings from Joint Study of Adult Learner Persistence and Degree Completion. According to the researchers, successful institutions are those that are able to provide non-academic support (child care among the examples) to the re-enrolling students. Institutions that are able to hold proactive conversations about financial aid issues, and the risks and importance of persisting, appear to be more successful as well. Lastly, academic credit awarded for prior learning at some institutions increases the graduation rate and persistence for incoming re-enrolling students. Read APUS President Wally Boston's complete report on the Summit linked here: http://wallyboston.com/the-summit-for-online-leadership-and-strategy/