Iowa Department of Education Awarded $250,000 to Expand Educational Opportunities for Adult Learners

Iowa's grant will support development of a unified, statewide system to recognize prior learning and accelerate attainment of degrees and credentials for adult learners.

The Iowa Department of Education has been awarded a $250,000 Strategic Impact and Innovation Grant from the Midwestern Higher Education Compact to develop a new unified, transparent and portable Prior Learning Assessment system for adult learners. Iowa's Prior Learning Assessment system will be used by institutions of higher education statewide to evaluate and grant credit for knowledge and skills gained by adult learners outside the classroom, including through work, military service or professional certifications.

"In purposeful partnership with our community colleges and the Board of Regents, Iowa's postsecondary education system is working to better recognize the expertise of adult learners and improve credit transfer," said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. "Awarding credit for what students already know and have accomplished will save Iowans time and money as they pursue postsecondary education and workforce training that lead to high-demand, high-skill and high-wage jobs here in Iowa."

National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) recently conducted an independent assessment of the alignment of Iowa's postsecondary education programs with workforce needs. While the report found that Iowa's public and private colleges and universities have sufficient capacity to fulfill the state's current and future needs for skilled talent, Iowa's focus on serving and meeting the unique needs of adult learners surfaced as an identified area for improvement.

The grant will enable Iowa higher education leaders to better support Iowa's adult learners by:

• Launching a statewide "Credit for Prior Learning" initiative to clearly communicate to adult learners and near-completers how their knowledge gained from work experience can translate into college credit.
• Developing statewide policies, practices and infrastructure to efficiently and consistently scale Prior Learning Assessment programs across the state's institutions.
• Offering incentive grants for public institutions to participate in developing and implementing Prior Learning Assessment policy, as well as professional development for staff and faculty.
• Training faculty and academic advisors to confidently identify Prior Learning Assessment opportunities and guide nontraditional students through the process.
• Outlining policies and practices for transferring credits earned through Prior Learning Assessments among Iowa's public postsecondary institutions.

"A coordinated PLA approach will allow Iowa's public universities to better serve adult learners where they are and provide more paths toward a degree," said Board of Regents Chief Academic Officer Rachel Boon. "The Regent universities are dedicated to quality, affordable education for Iowans, and this award only serves that dedication."

"We appreciated the clarity and focus of Iowa's proposal," said Susan G. Heegaard, MHEC President. "Iowa leaders know that serving more adult learners is a significant opportunity for the state and that this PLA strategy can play a major role in helping adult learners leverage their experience toward certifications or degrees."

MHEC's Strategic Impact and Innovation Grants support high-impact, collaborative initiatives that address state needs and align with MHEC's vision to strengthen postsecondary education and advance regional economic vitality. Each of MHEC's 12 member states can apply for a grant of up to $250,000.

For more information about the Strategic Impact and Innovation Grants, visit the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) website at https://mhec.org/what-we-do/initiatives/innovation-grants/.