Next Practices Thinking Creatively About Better Serving Adult Learners with Dr. Frank Dooley
Across Purdue Global's virtual halls 38 000 students, nearly all of them working adults, log in after shifts and school runs, yet they are moving toward Purdue degrees faster because the university treats their lived experience as real academic currency. Dr. Frank Dooley, Chancellor Emeritus of Purdue Global, explained how his team built policies that convert military medic training, corporate leadership courses, and on‑the‑job technical certificates into college credit.
On Purdue's residential campus the playbook looks different: first‑year students find peer tutoring and study‑skills boot camps embedded in their earliest classes. The result on both campuses is the same with higher completion rates driven by flexibility and timely feedback instead of a one‑size‑fits‑all schedule. I sat down with Frank to unpack the mindset shifts behind that success and the practical systems that keep it running, from micro assessments for time‑starved adults to visible walk‑in help for traditional freshmen learning to manage independence.
We also talk about awarding credit for prior learning at scale, building employer partnerships that turn CHIPS Act funding into real careers, and designing courses that accommodate neurodiversity and the coming wave of AI‑driven change. If you are searching for a blueprint that leaves cookie‑cutter education behind, pull up a seat.
Show Notes:
[02:57] Dr. Frank Dooley has had a long career. He's a Professor of Agricultural Economics. He's been at Purdue since 1998. He went into the Provost office in 2011, and worked with undergraduate programs. In 2020, he became the chancellor of Purdue Global.
[03:53] He's now on sabbatical.
[04:07] We learn about the dual perspective of what students really need to be successful.
[05:55] Working adults and learners who come back have all kinds of experience. They need to be able to expand that experience.
[06:49] There's a lot of assessment in smaller bites.
[07:55] Throwing out the playbook that was built for the traditional student population.
[08:38] The adult learners may need more support. The importance of keeping in touch with learners who may have missed an assignment window.
[11:21] One commonality with both groups of learners is they don't always ask for help.
[12:03] The importance of using data to be proactive.
[13:24] Letting traditional students know who the TAs are.
[15:11] It's harder for online students to build relationships with classmates.
[17:27] There are many students on the autism spectrum. Having recognition and understanding that students are different.
[19:59] Unique challenges that adult learners face.
[22:00] We talk about the ability to give credit for prior learning. Purdue Global has an entire center focused on this.
[26:07] Adult learners are very intent on finishing as quickly as possible.
[27:52] Valuing different types of education and institution types and building a more inclusive and effective higher education system.
[29:39] It's important for institutions to tie to the employer base they have in their location.
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