Strategies for Planning and Leading Innovative Adult Programs

Economic issues are forcing many adults to rethink their career pathways and to seek postsecondary programs in more promising sectors of the economy. The US Department of Education projects that over the next eight years enrollment of adult students in higher education will climb at more than double the rate of traditional students. Becoming more competitive in the adult market means schools must learn how to quickly identify possible program innovations around adult student needs and create program innovation.



The best adult programs are structured around the following categories:

* Program delivery variations
* Multiple locations
* Varied course formats
* Accelerated degree completion
* Individualized degrees
* Modularized curriculum
* Self-paced study



Join us for this conference, which features some of the most innovative adult programs based on these categories, where you'll learn how to apply the most relevant strategies to your own adult programs and leave with an initial action plan.



Specifically, you will learn to:

* Assess market trends
* Structure adult programs around identified innovation categories and themes
* Overcome resistance and barriers to innovation
* Create a first-steps action plan for innovation in your adult programming




WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Administrators who plan and manage adult programs, be they credit, noncredit, certificate, or degree. This includes deans, directors, program directors, and program managers, as well as senior administrators responsible for overseeing continuing and adult education.




A TEAM EFFORT

Because successful, innovative adult programs require the buy-in of so many constituents, we encourage you to bring individuals from all levels of your operation. Top leaders who will champion the new programs and managers who will implement and administer them will each find this conference valuable in ensuring the programs' success.




PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP - Creating And Leading A Culture Of Innovation

Because college/university departments are primarily designed to produce a tangible end product like a course, not necessarily intangible innovative ideas, they need to learn new techniques for creating an idea-driven problem-solving culture. Through faculty presentations and working sessions, this workshop will help you:

* Explore the power of ideas and the principles of creating a culture for idea generation
* Learn how to design and pilot this problem-solving culture, and work with building and sustaining an idea-driven organization