Advance
good practices and sound policies that accelerate the effective adoption and use of technologies in teaching and learning.
Transparency by Design
The Transparency by Design (TbD) initiative powers the College Choices for Adults website. Adult learners learn vital information about participating institutions and programs, so that they can make informed decisions about their distance or online higher education options. TbD member institutions comprise a consortium of regionally-accredited, adult-serving distance/online education institutions.
History
Transparency by Design began as a project of the Presidents' Forum , whose mission is to advance the recognition of innovative practice and excellence in serving adult students.
The Initiative chose WCET, a division of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, to provide quality assurance in creating data reporting standards and in independently reviewing data submissions from the member institutions.
In late 2008, Lumina Foundation for Education provided a grant to WCET to fund the development of the College Choices for Adults website. TbD supports the Foundation's goal to ensure that 60 percent of Americans are college-educated by 2025.
"Adults make up nearly 85 percent of all higher education enrollments today. Our goal with the initiative is to enable adults to make informed choices about higher education options by providing them with program-level learning outcomes, measurements and results that are difficult to find elsewhere."
Michael Offerman, Interim President, Capella University
College Choices for Adults is unique in answering the question "What will I learn?" about each program on the site. This allows adult learners to align their personal and professional goals with their educational opportunities, by matching program-level learning outcomes, measurements and results, with the knowledge and/or skills they hope to gain.
Charter Member Institutions
- American InterContinental University Online
- American Public University System
- Capella University
- Charter Oak State College
- Colorado Technical University
- Excelsior College
- Franklin University
- Kaplan University
- Regis University
- Rio Salado College
- Southwestern College Professional Studies
- Union Institute and University
- Western Governors University
Member Institutions
Associate Member Institutions
