There have been numerous studies about the difficulties that adult students encounter in completing their college degrees while working, raising a family, being a caregiver, etc.  Graduates attending the reception the night before the ceremony shared some of their stories with each other, the faculty and staff members in attendance, and with me.  Their stories are inspiring.  The faculty, staff, and I are proud of our students and our graduates for their professional, personal, and academic accomplishments and wish all of our graduates the very best in their future endeavors.

Student retention has been an issue in higher education since the late 1800’s.  Some of the early research in the area began in the 1930’s but the volume of research studies increased substantially in the 1960’s through the present era.  Early research focused on psychological reasons for students to drop out of college but most of the literature since the late 1970’s have focused on sociological issues.

While there are many significant contributors to the research of student retention (William Spady, Alexander Astin,  Vincent Tinto, John M. Braxton, George Kuh, Ernest Pascarella, etc.), Vincent Tinto’s Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition provides a fairly thorough overview of many research studies (note:  the second edition of this book was published in 1994 and new copies are difficult to find).

Tinto is given credit for developing the first theoretical construct of predicting student retention.  Three major areas of his theory involve the importance of the background characteristics of college students, the social integration of students with their college, and the academic integration of students with their professors and programs.  Subsequent research studies have focused on some of these areas and/or attempted to prove or disprove the original construct.  Colleges and universities use some of the studies as the basis for their internal retention research or external explanations of their graduation rate.

Continually, studies contribute to the theory that background characteristics of students are most influential for their persistence in college.  Among the data included in background characteristics studies are SAT and ACT scores, high school Grade Point Average, educational background of parents, and socioeconomic status of the student’s family.  Students with above average profiles in all of these areas usually graduate from college while students with profiles below the averages are less likely to attend or graduate from college.

At American Military University (AMU) and American Public University (APU), our students are primarily working adults with an average age of 30.  While there were notable studies of student retention at adult-serving institutions, I found very few that studied persistence at online universities or studied students who completed their programs entirely online.  While we knew the relative percentage of our students who graduate, we had not analyzed our student database for characteristics that may be significant indicators for a student’s graduation success.

Whenever institutions examine student retention, the analysis has to include the outcomes for students over a certain period of time.  Given that graduate students have already obtained an undergraduate degree, we eliminated them from the analysis.  We also needed to cover a reasonable period of time that would allow students to graduate, remain active, or disenroll from school.  We decided to examine statistics from approximately 20,500 students who were pursuing an undergraduate degree and who completed at least one course in 2007.  The students were grouped into three groups based on their academic standing as of December 31, 2009.  Those groupings were:  students who graduated, students who were still actively taking at least one course per year, and students who had disenrolled as of the end of 2009.

The analysis was fruitful in that it provided me with results that I could convey to our executive team for future studies and continued analysis.  One important finding was that the average length of time it took a student from that group to earn a bachelor’s degree at AMU or APU was 6.7 years.  We already knew that most of our students were engaged full-time with their military or civilian careers, so the length of time to complete a four-year degree would take longer than someone who was enrolled as a full-time student.  However, more than 85 percent of our students transfer in academic credits from a previously attended institution or from workplace training where the learning had been evaluated for academic credit.  Factoring in the average number of credit hours transferred in to our institution with the average number of courses taken in a year, the study results indicate that many successful adult students complete their academic journey over a period of time approaching 10 years.  That 10-year period may be longer if career or family obligations interrupt the flow of taking classes.

We utilized a forward regression model to determine if there were independent variables that might predict whether an individual student would disenroll from either AMU or APU.   It was not all too surprising that students from the group who transferred no credits were most likely to disenroll (our paper was listed as 31084 and will be available as part of the Printed Proceedings book available at www.digital-factory.net/aace).  Given that 121 credit hours (40 courses) are required for most bachelor’s programs and the average student at AMU/APU takes 12 credits (4 courses) per year, a 10-year commitment may be easier to walk away from in the early stages than after a substantial amount of credits have been earned.  Supporting this regression analysis outcome is the fact that 40.3 percent of the students in the group who disenrolled did so after taking only 2 classes and 65.3 percent disenrolled after taking 4 or fewer classes.  Decreasing the percentage of students who disenroll early has been a focus at American Public University System (APUS) for nearly a decade and continues.  Many on-ground programs have similar issues with new students leaving early and have programs dedicated to the first year student experience in order to improve the student experience and more fully integrate them into the social and academic culture.  Social and academic integration in online learning environments is more difficult, but not impossible and we will continue to investigate ways in which we can meet the needs of new students in their first classes.

Academic institutions like APUS that participate in the Federal Student Aid program are required to submit vast quantities of student data to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) through the Institutional Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).  That data is made available to the public and to researchers.  The Department of Education reports an institution’s official graduate rate as the number of first-time, full-time freshmen students who graduate within 150 percent of the normal time to complete a degree program (three years for a two year degree and six years for a four year degree).  If an institution does not have any first-time, full-time freshmen, it will have a graduation rate of zero.  Many institutions that serve a large population of adult students will have very low numbers of first-time, full-time freshmen.  A useful source of data to determine the relative percentage of part-time students at an institution is to divide the FTE (full-time equivalent) students reported in a given year by the unduplicated headcount reported by the institution for the same year.  The lower the decimal calculated, the higher the number of part-time students will be who attend that institution.  If the majority of an institution’s students are part-time, the Department collects data on completions, but does not collect data about the length of time it took to complete a degree or the year in which the students who completed a degree matriculated at the institution.

Enrollments at colleges and universities that offer online programs have soared in recent years for many reasons, one of which is the convenience of working online from work or home versus commuting to a physical location for a class that may be held at times inconvenient for a working adult.  However, the consumer-friendly data that is collected by NCES relates to students who plan to be first-time, full-time freshmen and does not reflect the success rates of adult-students who matriculate and graduate from these programs.  Given that the department tracks unduplicated student headcounts and completions each year, adding two fields relating to unduplicated new students and drops for each year would provide a cohort-tracking system that could provide an aggregate completion/graduation rate for part-time students.  Many institutions serving part-time students allow seven years for those students to complete a two-year degree and up to ten years for a four-year degree.  The pace at which students complete those degrees varies based upon professional and family requirements that may conflict at times with the number of courses that a student can take.  One of the desired outcomes of our research was to provide a benchmark for similar studies as well as a suggested guideline for tracking persistence in adult-serving online degree programs.  As more and more adults return to college to complete their degrees online, finding a consistent system for measuring and reporting their progress will become more important.

The “myths” that AMU or APU are diploma mills or unaccredited are invalid.  In most cases, the myths are more than likely disseminated by individuals who do not care for online colleges and universities.  Faculty and staff members of accredited institutions that operate partially online or totally online have heard the negative perceptions about online education for years and have worked hard to demonstrate the evidence that supports learning in online programs.  A May 2009 study published by the U.S. Department of Education entitled Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning:  A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies stated that students learn better in online programs than in face-to-face programs .  The researchers examined over 1,000 published research papers involving online and face-to-face learners.

The FACTS about AMU’s existence and accreditation are irrefutable.  AMU is one of two universities that form the American Public University System (APUS).  APUS is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (NCA), one of eight regional accrediting bodies in the United States and the largest regional accrediting body in terms of the number of colleges that it accredits.  You can find our name, accreditation status, and other pertinent information listed on its website at:   http://hlcommission.org/component/option,com_directory/Action,ShowBasic/Itemid,184/instid,2853/lang,en/.     Among the 1,000 plus colleges and universities accredited by NCA are the University of Chicago, the University of Notre Dame, and Northwestern University.  The accreditation process is lengthy and complex and includes many visits by very well educated academics.  A diploma mill would not survive such a review process.  The American Public University System has also been accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council since 1995.  The link for AMU is at this address:  http://detc.org/school_details.php?id=169.  APUS is licensed in West Virginia and Virginia which are the two states where we have offices with our administrative and academics leadership and staff.  We have over 60,000 students and over 10,000 alumni.  Two-thirds of our students are active duty military personnel.  The Department of Defense requires all colleges and universities that participate in its tuition assistance program to be accredited and licensed by a recognized accrediting body.

Additionally, APUS has over 1200 faculty members whose names and credentials are listed on our website.  These professionals would not stake their reputation by working for a diploma mill or unaccredited institution.  Our faculty and staff present at many conferences each year and proudly list their affiliation.  Most, if not all, of these conferences would not accept presenters from unaccredited institutions. 

Lastly, whenever anyone has a concern about a statement that is made about our accreditation, please do not hesitate to contact our Office of Institutional Advancement at accreditation@apus.edu.  They will be glad to help you set the record straight.

Several years ago, I heard about a doctorate program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education that was designed for people who were employed full-time in higher education.  The doctorate was in higher education management.  With an ongoing interest in learning (what else is lifelong learning), I engaged in a dialogue with the Board of Trustees of the American Public University System (APUS) and the Board of Directors of American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) about the merits of enrolling in this program if I were accepted.  Both of the boards were supportive of my interest.  The primary question was related to timing.  I applied and was accepted.  There were several doctoral programs around the country designed for people working full-time, but the program at UPenn was the one that I wanted to attend.

I started the program in August 2008, a member of a cohort of 22.  Part of the uniqueness of the program is that we had to submit five suggestions for dissertation topics at the start of our program.  As the months progressed, we tackled courses with subjects like Qualitative Methods, Public Policy in Higher Education, Quantitative Methods, Institutional Governance in Higher Education, Strategic Management in Higher Education, History of Higher Education, Community Colleges, International Higher Education, Enrollment Management, and Small Colleges.  At the same time, we continued to progress toward our development of a topic and ultimately a proposal for our dissertations.

I successfully defended my dissertation proposal in May.  Courses have continued through the fall and will conclude in February.  Meanwhile, the chapters of my dissertation continue to take shape, along with data collection and analysis.  As those who have gone through this process know, the last few months are the most intense, requiring a lot of writing and rewriting.  Mixing a more casual style of writing into my more structured research writing has been more difficult than I had imagined.

I am not sure how often I will submit articles for the blog.  I may find a guest author or two.  I might even post a few videos of professors and students at APUS; a project that we have been developing over the past few months.

Meanwhile, I can relate to the challenges of going back to school for a degree when you have a full-time job and a family.  My family has been very supportive and I thank them.  I look forward to being able to spend more time with them, but the most important activity in my spare time will be finishing this dissertation and defending it successfully, sometime this spring.  The opportunity to do this has been wonderful.  I have enjoyed the program, the faculty, and my cohort classmates.  I think I know how an American Military University (AMU) or American Public University (APU) student feels when the finish line is in sight.

Few events generate as much excitement, pride or sense of accomplishment as a university graduation ceremony.  Our students hail from all 50 U.S. states and 135 countries worldwide.  They include active duty servicemen and servicewomen; dedicated public servants; and accomplished professionals engaged in a range of technical, analytic, and management positions.  They are also wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons.  Their accomplishments are outstanding!

As impressive as the graduating class of 2009’s numbers and statistics are, the stories, the accomplishments, the hopes and the dreams of individual American Military University (AMU) and American Public University (APU) graduates are equally as fascinating.  I appreciated having the opportunity to catch up with many of the graduates who attended our ceremonies.  What they said about their experience with APUS was certainly of interest to me and offers insight and inspiration to us all.  I have summarized a few of them.

Kim Beyers received a B.A. in Homeland Security from AMU last weekend, thrilled that her parents and family members could be on hand to help mark her accomplishment, and is looking forward to another AMU graduation ceremony in the not-so-distant future, when she earns her AMU Master’s degree in Homeland Security.  Ms. Beyers, an information systems specialist, is on active duty with the U.S. Army, and plans to retire in 2010 – but she has no plans to stop working.  She was posted in Turkey when the national tragedy of September 11, 2001 occurred, and she vowed shortly thereafter that she would continue her public service beyond her military career by contributing to the nation’s security – which she hopes to do in an analyst position with the Department of Homeland Security or the Defense Intelligence Agency following her retirement.  

Charles Russo currently works as an analyst with a large defense contractor and received a B.A. in Intelligence Studies with AMU last year.  Charles plans to pursue an M.A. in Intelligence Studies with AMU beginning next year.  Mr. Russo attended the APUS graduation ceremonies as one of our alumni ambassadors, there to congratulate a new class of alumni.  He says his degree program with AMU has given him perspective and insight which complements his more than 14 years of intelligence experience.

Susan Wadehul received a Master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in Emergency & Disaster Management from APU (as well as a stellar 4.0 GPA and “Outstanding Graduate Student Award” for the School of Public Safety and Health), in what was the culmination of a self-imposed challenge – and likely the start of an exciting new phase in her life and career.  In September, 2004, the registered nurse and emergency medical technician was diagnosed with viral meningitis, and told it could take up to three years to fully recover.   Unable to lift heavy objects or to work, but otherwise healthy, Susan decided to pursue a master’s degree in “something broader” than a traditional nursing program.  She found in APU what she calls “the perfect combination:” an online master’s degree program in public health, with a concentration in emergency management.  Now fully recovered and back at work full time at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, MA, Susan hopes her newly minted degree will allow her to realize another dream:  to teach other aspiring healthcare providers in nursing, public health and/or emergency management.

Clearly, these and all of our APUS graduates are already making their mark in a range of fields crucial to our nation’s military, government, social and economic success.  I believe their education and experience with AMU and APU will not only make them more successful in their individual careers – but that they will make life a little better for all of us in their ongoing service to our country.

Congratulations to the AMU and APU graduating classes of 2009, and all the best from the administration and faculty of APUS!

11 Nov 2008
           
It is a private matter who you or I voted for to be the President of the United States one week ago.  It is a public responsibility, however, no matter how we voted, to now offer our support and best wishes for the new President’s success in keeping this nation strong, ensuring the liberties we have fought and died for, and making the country better every single generation for the generation that follows.
 
I take great pride in having served under 7 Presidents while in uniformed service.  (I missed Lyndon Johnson by 2 months, but served under Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, James Earl Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, William Clinton, and George W. Bush.)  Though those 7 men were the Commander in Chief, as a member of the United States Army and the United States Air Force, I worked not for them as men, but for the American people.  My duty, my allegiance, and my sworn oath were to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.  I will do so until I draw my final breath, in uniform or not.    

Some Presidents enjoyed my respect for the steadfastness of their character and the quality of their leadership.  Some whose ethics or moral fiber I did not respect still received my loyalty.  They were, after all, the elected leader of the American people, and that’s who those of us who wear or have worn the uniform work for.  I kept my own counsel – it didn’t matter if I respected them as leaders or merely served because they held the highest office the citizens of this nation can bestow upon a fellow American.  Male or female.  White or black.  Just an American elected by other Americans.  That’s reason enough for me.
           
These reflections of fealty and respect come to me now because the recent election, like the two that preceded it, was as momentarily divisive and vicious as – well, as every other American election.  Only our very first President was unopposed and received 100% of the Electoral College votes.  

The second US election, between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, was characterized by brutal campaigning, vicious lies, yellow journalism, and much enmity all the way around.  Adams won by 3 electoral votes, only to lose to Jefferson 4 years later by 8 votes.  The two despised each other.  But, as Americans are (uniquely?) able to do, they also respected each other’s intellect and contributions to the cause of liberty.  They began, after their terms as President, a lifelong correspondence that did not concluded until the death of both men on the same day, July 4, 1826.  The 50th anniversary of the day both signed the Declaration of Independence.  With Adams’ last words allegedly being, “At least Jefferson lives.”

Every election since has been the same.  We begin with vehement disagreement and, optimistically, we end by closing ranks and giving our support to the new President (all the while looking forward to the next election, of course.)  This time will be no different.  The entertainers who promised to leave the country 4 years ago if George W. Bush was re-elected disappointed us mightily by not having the courage to actually leave.  This time around, those who are claiming they’ll take their guns and canned goods to a mountain redoubt will likely prove equally disappointing. 

Our nation has endured the Presidencies of Franklin Pierce, Warren G. Harding, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson and – well, if they’re still living, they’ve endured enough, so let’s leave it at that.  No matter what happens, we’ve seen worse.  Some of us served under worse than we could possibly imagine going forward.  Through it all, the common sense of the American people gets us through the worst of times and is there to reap the reward of their faith in the best of times,

I believe those who have defended the right to vote however we damn well choose, who have defended our right to disagree, who have defended our right to be wrong from time to time, and who have defended the Constitution itself, too often with their life’s blood, are among those who return to the citizenry at large most knowledgeable about just how unique and extraordinary our constitutional form of government is. 

Our Veterans are the guardians of the Constitution, for they are able to compare other forms of government they have seen, fought alongside, or fought against.  And they know firsthand the inexplicable elation of being able to repeat the following words, words that bring a catch in the throat of those taking it and those administering it.  This oath is for military officers; NCOs and enlisted personnel swear a very similar oath:

“I, ((Full Name)),  having been appointed an officer in the ((Branch of Service)) of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of ((Rank)) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.” 
           
As of this date, 11 November 2008, there is 1 veteran of World War I still alive (note:  Frank Buckles, age 107, is a resident of Charles Town where APUS is headquartered).  The best estimates are that there are 2,306,000 living service-members who served during World War II; 2,307,000 men and women who served during the Korean War; 7,125,000 Americans of every color, ethnic background, and political philosophy who were in uniformed service during the Vietnam War; 2,269,000 who served in Desert Storm and another 3,000,000 who have served or are still serving in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.  It shouldn’t be too difficult to find one to say “Thank you.”  Don’t worry or be embarrassed if it’s the day after Veteran’s day or a day 6 months hence.  Still thank them.  No matter when they served, no matter where, no matter for how long or in what capacity – they are the guardians of our Constitution.  Many have the scars, and some only a lonely marker where they now lie forever still, to prove it.
           
Thank you, Veterans.  To every one who has ever served, who does so today, or will in the future, I salute you.

Respectfully,
Joseph L. Shaefer
B Gen, USAF, Ret.

We charge a Transfer Credit Evaluation Fee (TCE) of $100 which is used to offset the cost of procuring all transcripts earned by a student at previously attended institutions and/or military training schools as well as the cost of evaluating how much credit applies to the degree path selected. We do not charge the student a fee per credit hour transferred as some schools do. We accept ACE credit recommendations and accept up to 90 credit hours transferred at the undergraduate (BA/BS) level.

What does this mean? We believe that we expand access to higher education by attempting to keep our tuition low and our fees at a minimum. Some of the students who attend our institution would not be able to afford other institutions including their public state university. Our credit transfer policy further reduces the total cost of a degree for an adult learner since our cap should not reduce the courses already taken at a community college while earning an associates degree. Calculating the savings by not having to retake courses is complicated, but something that I strongly advise you to do.

I suggest that anyone concerned with the cost of a degree make a comparison of the following items:

To see our methodology, please click the links below:

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