Outreach
Expand Adult Ed and Increase Integration of Adult Ed Students
De Anza College is working to strengthen partnerships with local adult education providers to increase awareness of college and career opportunities for adult learners. The College aims to expand adult education dual enrollment and noncredit-to-credit pathways that support seamless transitions into postsecondary education and workforce training. As part of this work, De Anza College seeks to improve admissions, permission, and registration processes for adult education dual enrollment students by streamlining requirements and removing institutional barriers that limit access and enrollment. This effort intentionally prioritizes first-generation and nontraditional adult learners, who are often unaware of dual enrollment opportunities or face challenges navigating college systems. These initiatives are supported in part through the California Adult Education Program (CAEP), which provides resources to strengthen regional partnerships, reduce barriers, and improve adult learner transitions into college and career pathways.
Streamlined Access and Enrollment
o Simplify admissions, permission, and registration processes for adult education dual enrollment students.
o Provide guided onboarding and enrollment assistance to reduce institutional barriers.
Adult Education Pathway Development
o Develop clear pathways that lead from adult education and noncredit and credit coursework into certificates, degrees, and workforce programs.
o Align pathways with regional labor market needs and adult learner goals.
Support and Academic Planning
o Embed counseling and education planning services into adult education dual enrollment programs.
o Provide early academic guidance focused on career exploration and goal setting.
o Offer early and ongoing guidance to support persistence and transition into college programs.
o Connect students to campus and community support resources.
o Expand flexible scheduling and instructional modalities to meet adult learner needs.
Outreach and Partnership Development
o Coordinate outreach, student referrals, and transition planning with adult education partners.
o Leverage CAEP funding to support cross-institutional collaboration and pathway alignment
Data-Informed Program Improvement
o Track enrollment, persistence, and transition outcomes for adult education dual enrollment students.
o Use CAEP-supported data sharing and evaluation to refine practices and scale effective strategies.
Lead: Randy Bryant, Thomas Ray, Felisa Vilalbi
Plan Timeline
Winter 2024
Action Plan: Establish foundational structures for adult education dual enrollment expansion.
Key Steps:
- Identify friction points in admissions, permission, and registration processes impacting adult education dual enrollment students.
- Convene adult education dual enrollment coordinators from De Anza and Foothill College to meet monthly with transition specialists at surrounding adult schools within the North Santa Clara County Consortium (NSCCC) to identify gaps, exchange information, and align processes.
- Document existing supports and barriers across institutions to inform future process redesign
Resources: CAEP coordination funds, Admissions & Records input.
Challenges: Capacity constraints; alignment across multiple institutions.
Spring 2024
Action Plan: Design streamlined enrollment and pathway models.
Key Steps:
- Utilize the English Language Learners (ELL) Healthcare Pathways grant to create clear, articulated pathways for adult education students transitioning into noncredit and credit programs.
- Redesign adult education dual enrollment onboarding processes, including checklists, timelines, and referral protocols.
- Coordinate pathway design efforts with adult education partners to ensure alignment with student goals and regional workforce needs.
Fall 2024
Outreach and Early Implementation
Action Plan: Launch targeted outreach and early-stage implementation efforts.
Key Steps:
- Conduct targeted outreach at adult schools focused on pathway awareness and dual enrollment opportunities.
- Provide orientations and campus navigation support for adult education students new to the college environment.
Resources: Outreach staff, counseling support.
Challenges: Building awareness among adult learners unfamiliar with college systems.
Winter 2025
Evaluation and Process Refinement
Action Plan: Evaluate early outcomes and refine processes.
Key Steps:
- Analyze enrollment, persistence, and transition data from initial cohorts.
- Adjust onboarding, admissions, and counseling processes based on student and partner feedback.
Spring 2025
Pathway Expansion
Action Plan: Continue to expand adult education pathways into workforce-aligned programs.
Key Steps:
- Launch additional noncredit CTE pathways aligned with regional labor market needs to enhance adult education partnerships through noncredit pathways.
- Align CTE adult education and dual enrollment course pathways with Career Development and College Preparation (CDCP) pathways.
- Expand outreach to older adults and nontraditional learners seeking short-term career training.
Resources: Workforce faculty, noncredit funding, CAEP support.
Challenges: Faculty availability and scheduling coordination.
Fall 2025
Enrollment Growth
Action Plan: Increase adult education FTES.
Key Steps:
- Scale outreach and recruitment efforts across adult education partners.
- Continue embedded tutoring support within classes and expand flexible instructional modalities, including evening, hybrid, and online offerings.
Resources: Tutoring support, instructional technology.
Challenges: Balancing academic rigor with adult learner time constraints.
Winter 2026
Integrated Support Enhancement
Action Plan: Strengthen student support and transitions.
Key Steps:
- Formalize referral pipelines into the Career Services Center for adult education dual enrollment students.
- Continue embedding counseling and education planning into pathway courses.
Resources: Career Services staff, counseling coordination.
Challenges: Ensuring consistent follow-through across service areas.
Spring 2026
Data-Informed Refinement
Action Plan: Refine strategies using outcomes data.
Key Steps:
- Identify and implement ways to review, consolidate, and incorporate data from multiple sources to support more comprehensive evaluation and decision-making.
- Review disaggregated data by age, pathway, and enrollment type to identify trends.
- Adjust outreach and support strategies based on findings.
Resources: Institutional Research support, CAEP reporting tools.
Challenges: Data consistency and integration across partners and systems.
Fall 2026
Action Plan: Institutionalize effective practices.
Key Steps:
- Standardize streamlined processes across programs.
- Expand noncredit ESL and career training aligned with labor market needs.
Winter 2027
Strategic Planning
Action Plan: Align adult education dual enrollment with long-term enrollment goals.
Key Steps:
- Align adult education dual enrollment growth with institutional enrollment management planning.
- Identify policy or resource adjustments needed to support continued FTES growth toward long-term targets.
Spring 2027
Data Tracking and Program Optimization
Action Plan: Strengthen data tracking, evaluation, and program optimization to support sustained growth.
Key Steps:
- Review and analyze multi-year data on adult education dual enrollment enrollment, persistence, transition, and FTES growth.
- Continue developing processes to collect, review, and integrate data from multiple sources, including adult schools, noncredit programs, counseling, and Career Services.
- Identify equity gaps and trends among adult learners, including older adults, first-generation students, and nontraditional populations.
- Use data findings to refine outreach strategies, pathway design, and student support services.
- Share findings with internal stakeholders and adult education partners to inform continuous improvement.
Resources: Institutional Research, CAEP reporting tools, counseling and program leadership input.
Challenges: Ensuring data accuracy, consistency, and timely access across systems.
Fall 2027
Sustainability and Institutionalization
Action Plan: Institutionalize effective practices to support long-term growth.
Key Steps:
- Embed data tracking and reporting into ongoing enrollment management processes.
- Standardize effective onboarding, support, and pathway practices.
- Use data to inform staffing, scheduling, and FTES growth planning.
- Document and formalize processes for long-term sustainability.
Resources: Enrollment management and institutional leadership support.
Challenges: Sustaining resources and alignment as programs scale.