Topic: Student learning and outcomes
Upcoming Event
February 10, 2026
Understanding Postsecondary Students’ Perspectives on Basic Needs Insecurity
Information Session
Join us in this information session on February 10 at 2pm ET to learn about a new Ithaka S+R research initiative to develop a student-informed understanding of basic needs insecurity and improve institutional communication, support, and access to public benefits. This session will share information on the project goals, participation expectations, timeline, and Request for Proposals process, with time for questions. With support from ECMC Foundation, the project will engage a cohort of 10–15 colleges and universities, including…
Blog Post
February 2, 2026
Call for Institutions to Participate in a New Study on Students’ Basic Needs
Ithaka S+R is excited to issue a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for Understanding Postsecondary Students’ Perspectives on Basic Needs Insecurity. This multi-year research initiative funded by ECMC Foundation will focus on better understanding how students define and experience basic needs insecurity and how institutions can more effectively align services, outreach, and communication with those perspectives.
Upcoming Event
February 12, 2026
Transfer Explorer Learning Network
How can faculty support students through the transfer process? How can faculty be partners in credit mobility? Join us on February 12 at 3pm ET for the Transfer Explorer Learning Network—a new series of virtual convenings to connect the Transfer Explorer community and share research, practice, and strategies to promote successful transfer outcomes. In this upcoming session, the Ithaka S+R team will share practical ways faculty can support student success and transfer, and…
Upcoming Event
February 6, 2026
Rural Practitioner Spotlight
Ithaka S+R's Rural Student Success Network
Join a Rural Together Practitioner Spotlight highlighting Ithaka S+R’s Rural Student Success Network, a new, national effort designed to strengthen student success and economic mobility at rural-serving institutions. Funded by an ECMC Foundation grant, this two-year initiative brings together 18 rural, bachelor’s degree-granting institutions to tackle some of rural higher education’s most persistent challenges—from supporting community college transfer students and adult learners to aligning programs with local and regional workforce needs. In this session, Ioana G. Hulbert…
Blog Post
January 29, 2026
Expanding Access to Credit for Prior Learning for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Learners
Despite the growing adoption of Credit for Prior Learning in higher education, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners remain disconnected from the advantages CPL can offer. While recent efforts have expanded access to higher education in prison, they have also tended to reinforce a narrow definition of academic learning—one that privileges classroom-based instruction and overlooks the diverse lived experiences that shape learning in carceral environments.
Blog Post
January 21, 2026
Understanding Postsecondary Students’ Perspectives on Basic Needs Insecurity
Across higher education, there is growing recognition that students’ academic success is deeply connected to whether their basic needs are met. Food, housing, transportation, child care, mental health support, and financial stability all play a critical role in students’ ability to persist and thrive. Yet, despite increased attention to basic needs insecurity, institutions often rely on definitions and service models that do not fully reflect how students themselves understand and experience these challenges, which in turn, influence whether students…
Upcoming Event
March 19, 2026
Examining Employers’ Perceptions of Online Credentials
A Discrete Choice Experiment
At the 2026 Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP) Annual Conference, Ithaka S+R’s Bethany Lewis will give a poster presentation focused on a study that analyzed the stated preferences of employers for candidates who have recently earned a bachelor’s degree, using an anonymous online survey of 543 individuals in the US who are currently employed in a position whose primary job responsibilities include recruiting and hiring new employees. The study used logistic regression models to examine how participants…
Upcoming Event
February 15, 2026
Design Thinking for First Year Success
Create, Evaluate, and Transform Programs
At the 45th Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience, Ithaka S+R’s Carmen Araoz will join Christine Harrington and Michael Sparrow of Morgan State University to explore how design thinking can transform the first-year seminar, orientation, advising, and other FYE programs. During this interactive workshop, participants will learn how this approach led to the creation of a new, open-access self-assessment tool for first-year seminars. Explore how to use this first-year seminar tool on their campus and how to engage in…
Blog Post
January 14, 2026
Improving the Share of Adult Learners at Four-Year Institutions
Why High-Graduation-Rate Institutions Should Enroll More Adult Learners
Higher education institutions will face multiple enrollment challenges in the next decade., including the projected decline in the number of high school graduates after 2025 and more prospective students being open to career options outside of a four-year degree. As they consider how to respond to these challenges, colleges and universities, including those with high-graduation rates, should take a closer look at the population of adult learners, particularly those within their geographic region, to support future enrollment efforts.
Upcoming Event
March 11, 2026
Transfer Credit
The Glue Connecting Learning Across Sectors
Students now earn college credit from many sources—high school dual enrollment, military, work experience, and attendance at multiple colleges—on their path to earn a college degree. While this multi-source learning can provide a major boost to learners, higher education institutions often struggle to efficiently and equitably award credit earned outside of their institution. At SXSW EDU 2026, Emily Tichenor and Abby Chien (Washington Student Achievement Council) will lead a meet-up session that will discuss your transfer initiatives and share…
Blog Post
December 18, 2025
Can You Measure It?
Moving from Intuition to Evidence in Understanding Students’ Experiences of a Liberal Arts and Sciences Education
The debate over the value of the liberal arts rages on. State policymakers and institutions face increasing pressure to demonstrate “value” to taxpayers and prospective students, which often means redirecting state funding to “credentials of value” as measured by students’ earnings. Yet those who have experienced a liberal arts and sciences education often describe deeply appreciating its value, even if they have difficulty quantifying that value or describing exactly which features of their education made it so meaningful.
Blog Post
December 17, 2025
The Importance of Assessment for Military-Connected Student Programs
As a former assessment professional, I became used to being the least popular person in the room. Assessment is often an afterthought, when thought of at all, or an obligation imposed by others as an act of compliance or obligation. This stance, of assessment as something separate and “other” from the program or activity at hand, does a disservice to our students and can become a self-fulfilling act of futility. If you are not curious about the impact of your…
Blog Post
December 16, 2025
New Regional Initiative to Strengthen Adult Learning and Workforce Development in Southwestern Pennsylvania
There are over one million adults under the age of 65 in Pennsylvania with some college, but no credential. At the same time, Southwestern Pennsylvania is struggling to meet workforce needs, with current postsecondary credentials meeting only 52 percent of workforce demand. Higher education and nonprofit leaders across Southwestern Pennsylvania are working to ensure adult learners have the support they need to enroll in and complete high-quality credentials.
Blog Post
December 11, 2025
Transfer Explorer Is Growing
Credit Mobility Website Is Poised to Add New States and Functionality in 2026
Today’s students are more mobile than ever before. A striking 45 percent of Associate degree holders and 67 percent of Bachelor degree holders have transcripts with learning from multiple institutions. Transfer student enrollment has increased by 8 percent since 2020, largely fueled by students who previously earned college credits and are now returning to higher education after a break to complete their degrees or credentials. To help ensure all those credits count toward a credential, we launched…
Blog Post
December 8, 2025
Lessons Learned from the Statewide Some College, No Degree Initiative in New Jersey
Sharing Challenges and Promising Practices in Two New Publications
Re-engaging and re-enrolling individuals with some college, no degree (SCND) is an increasing priority nationally. Credential completion not only enables individuals to access higher paying jobs, but also generates tuition revenue for institutions and supports regional economic development. Many states, including Tennessee, Ohio, and Michigan, have implemented reconnect or comeback programs targeted towards adult learners. Similarly, colleges and universities in New Jersey along with the state’s Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) have made significant…
Issue Brief
December 8, 2025
Supporting Adult Learner Re-Enrollment Statewide
Key Considerations from Addressing Re-Engagement and Re-Enrollment for New Jersey Learners with Some College, No Degree
According to recent National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) data, at the start of the 2023-24 academic year the population of students with some college, no credential (SCNC) under the age of 65 nationwide reached 37.6 million. Over 757,000 of those working age, stopped out students are New Jersey residents. Re-engaging and re-enrolling these students supports individual economic mobility, generates new tuition revenue for institutions, and advances regional education and economic goals.
Research Report
December 8, 2025
Addressing Re-Engagement and Re-Enrollment Barriers for New Jersey Learners with Some College, No Degree
Data, Policies, and Solutions
Re-engaging and re-enrolling adult learners with some college credit but no degree is an increasing priority nationally and in New Jersey. Credential completion not only enables individuals to access higher paying jobs, but also generates tuition revenue for institutions and supports regional economic development. Recognizing this and the other benefits experienced when students return, New Jersey’s higher education institutions and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) have made significant investments in re-engaging and re-enrolling stopped out students.
Research Report
December 4, 2025
From Concept to Campus
Lessons from the Design, Launch, and Growth of Transfer Explorer
This report tells the story behind Transfer Explorer—charting its design, pilot, launch, and ongoing improvements—to illuminate the decisions, and partnerships that made it possible and to highlight how Transfer Explorer may be leveraged in the future to improve credit mobility policies and procedures across the country. In doing so, the report is less about the outcomes of Transfer Explorer itself and more on the processes that shaped it.
Past Event
December 10, 2025
Thinking Holistically about Credit Mobility and Transfer
At the New Jersey Transfer Counselor Association Winter Meeting at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ, Ithaka S+R’s Martin Kurzweil will give a keynote address focused on thinking holistically about credit mobility and transfer. The session will take place on December 10 at 9:30am ET.
Past Event
November 19, 2025
Maintaining and Increasing Lower-Income Student Access During Times of Uncertainty
Lessons from the American Talent Initiative
At the First-Generation, Lower-Income Conference at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, Miriam Porras (Ithaka S+R) and Maile Symonds (College Excellence Program, Aspen Institute) moderated a panel discussion on the institutional commitments that have driven significant progress in enrolling Pell-eligible students at three member institutions of the American Talent Initiative. Attendees left with actionable insights and strategies on how to maintain institutional commitment to access and affordability. The event was held on November 19, 2025 at 4:30pm.