The population of adult learners—individuals who are over age 24 and have full-time jobs and family responsibilities—is large and growing. For example, one-third of California State University undergraduates are 25 or older, as are 55% of California's community college students. Nationally, adult learners comprise 45% of the college and university undergraduate population, and their numbers are expected to grow 20% by 2015. CAEL's Adult Learning Focused Institution (ALFI) Initiative focuses on helping adult learners overcome barriers and achieve the learning outcomes they want and need. Eight guiding principles that emerged from CAEL's ALFI benchmarking study will be discussed during the seminar, providing insights for how colleges and universities can ensure student success.
