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ERIC Number: ED521413
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2011-May
Pages: 30
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Applied Baccalaureate: What We Know, What We Learned, and What We Need to Know
Ruud, Collin M.; Bragg, Debra D.
Office of Community College Research and Leadership
The evolution of AB degrees has been influenced by an increased emphasis on workforce development, baccalaureate degree attainment, and transfer on the state and institutional levels. Beginning as primarily programmatic decisions made by a few institutions, over time AB degree program decisions have involved more institutions, and eventually states. Led by Barbara Townsend until her untimely death on June 11, 2009, the authors' research team surveyed education agencies in all 50 states and found that as of 2008, AB degrees were offered in at least one public 4-year institution in 39 states. Lumina Foundation's "Big Goal 2025" (n.d.) focuses on increasing the percentage of Americans with postsecondary credentials to 60% (compared to 39% at the start of Big Goal 2025) and advocates for a policy agenda designed to improve the credentialing of adult and transfer students in the nation. To that end, Lumina encouraged and supported a "Convening" on the AB degree to bring together policy experts, practitioners, and researchers to discuss the status of the AB degree, draw on the authors' research, and encourage dialogue on the potential of and challenges to AB degrees in the future. This paper summarizes some of the most salient themes that emerged during the Convening from sharing the authors' research, hearing from panelists and presenters, and participating in discussions among attendees. In reflecting on the dialogue among participants in the Convening, four primary themes emerged that deserve further exploration in this paper: (1) Defining the AB; (2) Clarifying the relationship between the AB and the CCB; (3) Defining a baccalaureate education; and (4) Accrediting the AB degree.
Office of Community College Research and Leadership. 51 Gerty Drive Room 129, Champaign, IL 61820. Tel: 217-244-9390; Fax: 217-244-0851; e-mail: occri@uiuc.edu; Web site: http://occrl.ed.uiuc.edu
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Lumina Foundation for Education
Authoring Institution: Illinois University, Office of Community College Research and Leadership
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A