Assessing Adult Learners in Project-Based Learning

Jones International University (JIU) offers online programs from the associate degree to the doctorate. JIU students are working professionals who seek to improve employability and prospects for advancement. Recognizing that learning in adulthood is social and embedded in the learner's life context, JIU designed instruction to give learners significant real-world experiences and feedback via project-based courses and assessment with multiple sources of input. At the end of their studies, students pursue a professional synthesizing project with an outside sponsor in their professional field and learn to document their professional expertise. The projects and regular assessments yield multiple formative and summative assessments to document the learner's progress, skill mastery, and readiness for employment in the field, ultimately yielding a portfolio suitable for job applications, promotions, or other employment purposes. Follow-on surveys of employers and graduates indicate that the approach has met graduates' goals and employers' needs.